Being likened to a girl is viewed as an insult. Her campaign efforts are belittled and labelled ‘sweet’. She is expected to quieten down and stop causing trouble. In her clashes with Aaron and his friends, Effie is criticised for being noisy, and dismissed as hysterical. Vote for Effie examines the everyday sexism faced by girls and women today. I absolutely loved the strong feminist content in this book. My heart was actually racing as we neared the announcement!

The rivalry between Effie and Aaron is intense and I found myself deeply caring about the election result. In a bid for votes, the candidates host stalls at the school fair and participate in a public debate. Campaign meetings are held, key issues are outlined, slogans are written and posters are designed and displayed around the school. Before long, she meets some like-minded people and forms a close group of loyal friends. The book then follows Effie as she prepares to defeat Aaron. It’s this blatant abuse of power and Aaron’s general apathy that prompts Effie’s decision to stand against him in the upcoming elections for junior class president.

Aaron flaunts the privileges of his position (most significantly his lunch pass) and he has also appropriated the majority of the school clubs’ budget for the sports clubs that he and his friends belong to. He’s also the current junior class president. Her first few weeks are difficult she finds it hard to make friends, has to eat lunch alone in the canteen and has a very public run-in with Aaron Davis, who turns out to be the most popular boy in the school. Cover illustration by Emma Trithart.Įffie Kostas is a new pupil at Highworth Grange Secondary School.

Vote for Effie by Laura Wood