"Flyy Girl" by Omar Tyree

Where do I even begin?! “Flyy Girl” is a timeless coming-of-age classic. (It’s right up there with “The Coldest Winter Ever” and “Addicted”.) Most girls that I grew up reading with, have read this novel, or at the very least heard of it and browsed through. The very first time I read “Flyy Girl” I believe I was around 11 years old (I remember getting in trouble in one of my classes because a teacher felt like I should be reading more age appropriate books… but I had already read most of them, and was already at a 11/12th grade reading level at that point.)

“Flyy Girl” is definitely a piece in my library that I read over and over again (and I mean that to say, I read it at least twice a year, on average.) Being that I first read it at 11 years old, there are a lot of things that go on in the novel that I look at completely different than I did back then, being that I’m older and have another 17 years of life and experience under my belt.

At 11 years old, turning the pages and reading about the various on-goings with Tracy (the main character), had me thinking she was the coolest person walking around. Looking back, Tracy was indeed a memorable character, but was also very similar to your average teenage girl, myself included; wanting to be popular, wanting the star of the football team, the ups and downs of dating boys, the various friendships you go through- especially during those high school years, peer pressure, thinking about sex, your first crush, life at home, and what comes next after graduating high school.

Omar Tyree did an amazing job giving us a look at who Tracy was at the start of the novel, who she was during the bulk of the book, and who she was becoming at the turn of the last page. Though there is a sequel- Tyree ended this book perfectly, and gave readers comfort. Though the sequel does dig deeper into Tracy’s life as an adult (I’ve read it 2-3 times), the first book will always be a personal favorite.

I’m in the process of writing my very first novel, and keep telling myself “It has to be up there with ‘Flyy Girl,’” “I want people to love this as much as they love ‘Flyy Girl.’” It’s had a huge impact over the years on readers and young authors, much like myself. My youngest sister is 17, going on 18- and I got her her own copy of the book last year… I highly recommend it to any of you that have sisters, nieces, cousins, or even daughters and they’re at that high school age; have them check this out (and also grab a copy for yourself if you haven’t read it.) I can promise you, you will not be disappointed in such an amazing novel! -Nina Michelle