The Girlhoods by Hilary Rogers

Girltopia, book 3. Scholastic Australia, 2019. ISBN: 9781742994604.
(Age: 10-12). Highly recommended. Themes: Girls, Friendship, Political power, Epidemics. The third book in the Girltopia series, following Girltopia and Boss girl, this novel brings the story of Clara and her friends to an explosive and exciting end. In this series all the males in Melbourne have been struck down by a mysterious sleeping virus and the place has been renamed Girltopia. Clara, the main character, and her friends have joined a group called The Girlhoods who are working to find out how and why the virus was released, which they all suspect was no accident.
The girls have all come to appreciate the freedom of having a female only society but it is hard work caring for the males who have been struck down with the virus and the restrictions at the border mean some foods and other commodities are hard to come by. They are all proud of how everyone has stepped up to reorganize society to fill in where the males were, and this has created a feeling that some do not want the males to be cured as they are enjoying their newfound power.
Clara's mother has been jailed just as she is about to release the cure for the virus, so Clara needs to work with her friends to get it from the Lab and to those who can release it. Clara needs to sort out which adults to trust, particularly as some seem so nice but try to stop her as they believe the world needs to see that women are better leaders than men.
I have read this series with my twelve-year-old granddaughter and we have both thoroughly enjoyed all the books. There have been great opportunities to talk about social media and its effect on people who over-use it. The adage that 'it's not my business what others think of me' is a sub-theme in this story and by the end of the book Clara feels more confident because she has realized she has stopped worrying about what others think of her. A great book for class discussion on these topics.
Gabrielle Anderson