I, Claudia
Age 13+
School Stories
“ I, Claudia will fortify your heart while stabbing you in t he back. . . . It’s Pretty Little Liars by way of ancient Rome—a wild, exciting ride, but full of caution about leadership run amok.”
—Anthony Breznican, author of Brutal Youth
Claudia McCarthy enters high school determined to keep her head down and not be noticed. With her limp and her stutter she wants to avoid being bullied at all costs. But then she gets sucked into the world of the school's patrician Senate and finds that power can be intoxicating...and corrupting. Is Claudia going to be able to make a difference at her school, or is she just going to get chewed up and spit out by her fellow classmates?
Creators
Mary McCoy was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. She holds degrees from Rhodes College and the University of Wisconsin. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and works as a librarian at the Los Angeles Public Library. She is also the author of Dead to Me and Camp So-and-So.
Reviews
What do imperial Rome and a contemporary L.A. prep school have in common? More than you might think. Laced with tumult and palace intrigue, I, Claudia pulls back the purple curtain for an inside look at the school’s patrician class. With psychological thrills, all-too-apt historical asides, and a witty, unforgettable narrator, I, Claudia is a smart and topical novel, an engrossing reminder that power corrupts.
Prickly, smart, and laugh-out-loud funny I, Claudia’s political emphasis couldn’t be more timely, nor her narrator more delightfully suspect. McCoy’s skillful weaving of history’s great manipulators into a decidedly contemporary setting is fun, memorable, and utterly original.
With its addictive voice, inventive storytelling, and one of the most fascinating and original heroines I’ve ever met, I, Claudia captivated me from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down!
