American Girls cover

American Girls

by Alison Umminger

Anna is a fifteen-year-old girl slouching toward adulthood. And she's had an excruciating year. To top it all off, she's got new stepparents, a new baby brother, and a new school to look forward to in the fall. So, she "borrows" her family's credit card and runs away to LA to crash with her half-sister. But in addition to not being wanted back by her parents, at least not immediately, Anna has to work to pay her way home. Her sister's creepy ex-boyfriend is directing an indie film inspired by girls who come to LA and disappear, literally or metaphorically, and he hires Anna for a seriously macabre research project--to research the murderous Manson girls.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?