Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl
Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl

Written by Joyce Carol Oates

Narrated by Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

About this audiobook

Matt Donaghy has always been a Big Mouth. But it's never gotten him in trouble -- until the day Matt is accused of threatening to blow up Rocky River High School.

Ursula Riggs has always been an Ugly Girl. A loner with fierce, staring eyes, Ursula has no time for petty high school stuff like friends and dating -- or at least that's what she tells herself Ursula is content with minding her own business. And she doesn't even really know Matt Donaghy.

But Ursula is the only person who knows what Matt really said that day ... and she is the only one who can help him.

In her first novel for young adults, acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates has created a provocative and unflinching story of friendship and family, and of loyalty and betrayal.

Performed by Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe

Editor's Note

Powerful performances...

Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe give powerful performances in Oates's YA debut, which shows how a few off-hand, violent comments can escalate into a frightening, life-ruining misunderstanding.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperTeen
Release dateSep 14, 2004
ISBN9780060786540
Author

Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is a novelist, critic, playwright, poet and author of short stories and one of America’s most respected literary figures. She has written some of the most enduring fiction of our time, including We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde. She is the Roger S. Berlind Distinguished Professor of Humanities at Princeton University and a recipient of the National Book Award and the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction.

More audiobooks from Joyce Carol Oates

Related to Big Mouth & Ugly Girl

Related audiobooks

YA Social Themes For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Big Mouth & Ugly Girl

Rating: 3.6058199788359784 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

189 ratings14 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Awful
    This book is about a girl whi feels like she is bullied, when really, she is the bully. The plot would be interesting if any of the. characters were likable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think this is an important book. It's really timely with the school shootings that have happened in recent years. It's accessible to read, as the short chapters alternate between the two main characters. I do recommend it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Anyone who has felt like an outcast even once in his or her life can relate to Ugly Girl. Anyone who has been caught in the crossfire of a rumor gone bad can relate to Big Mouth. Put the two of them together and you have the quintessential high school experience that we have all had. Matt opened his Big Mouth and said something terrible, so terrible he was accused of being a terrorist. Ursula walked around with a chip on her shoulder, scowling like an Ugly Girl but her insides were a different story. In her heart of hearts she knew Matt could never be the bomber everyone accused him of being so she had to say something... Together they make an unlikely pair but as rumors escalate they find out exactly how much they need each other.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Hehe...nice, heart warming chick-lit. just the sort of thing to read when you need a break from stuff.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A wonderful tale of two unlikely friends told in two voices: Big Mouth-- a fairly popular boy, good student, make-em laugh type boy who impulsively jokes about a bombing his high school and finds himself in serious trouble and Ugly Girl-- the sharp witted, plain faced, big boned and friendless loner who stands up for a boy she barely knows because it is the right thing to do. Matt and Ursula become friends-not quickly or easily-- but when the entire town turns on Matt and his whole world collapses, Ursula, who is used to being ostracized and is very strong-- but not happy-- about it, becomes his only and his true friend. Two teens who struggle with friendships and family issues and social pressures and real danger. Oates is a master storyteller and her characters are well thought out and nuanced. we care about every imperfect one. i really liked the book, a quick read with lots of place for conversation about society, rumors, true friends, schools, police, families, and feelings. i will say that the end seemed a little rushed and too neatly tied up, but this is still a great book and a good choice for middle and high school aged.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After goofing around in the high school cafeteria, Matt Donaghy ends up getting in big trouble. The comments he made end up making him a threat to the school. He soon gets taken out of class due to being suspected of planning to bomb the school. Even though Matt is innocent, his friends are told not get involved in fear of them becoming suspects as well. An unusual and frightening girl named Ursula Riggs surprisingly comes to Matt’s rescue and helps defend him and his innocence. The book then takes the reader through the whirlwind lives of teenagers-their family and friend relationships, the cruel happenings behind the school walls and internet messages. This is a fast-moving story that is fictitious yet relatable to young teenagers alike. This book would be a great edition in a high school library or for upper middle school students.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Ursula has always thought of herself as "ugly girl". She doesn't really care what others think about her, and she's not afraid to stand up for the truth. Mark is a popular, athletic, involved student that teachers and peers alike look up to...until Mark is accused of making "terroristic threats" to bomb the school. Suddenly he's fallen out of favor, and popularity with his friends and everyone at school, and is being charged with a felony. These two characters become unlikely friends as Ursula tries to stand up for Mark and what she heard, vs. the rumors running rampant. Mark, on the other hand, has spiraled into a depression that he's not sure how, or if, he wants to get out of. The story is told from alternating view points (Ursula's in first person, Matt's in third person)as teens deal honestly with tru-to-life scenarios.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Joyce Carol Oates' books are almost always extremely well-written, with engaging characters and drama that feels very realistic. This is very easy to notice in her YA-books, when she has to constrain herself to 300 pages and a moderately happy ending. I think the YA-books help her to avoid some of the problems in her books for adults.Big Mouth & Ugly Girl is the story of two teenagers who befriend each other at a point of their lives when they both have some sort of problem. Matt is abandoned by his friends after being suspended from school and Ursula doesn't get along with her mother. They become friends and help each other throughout the book.I love this book, and even though it's been a while since I read it. I would definitively recommend it to everyone.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When I first started reading this book, i didn't really like it that much. I thought it was weird and started out kind of slow but once I got into it it started to pick up and I liked it. It had a pretty cute ending and I think the book is something that a lof of kids can relate to because it deals with spreading rumors, gossip, and two misfits becoming friends.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This book is about how a student in high school got suspended for a bomb threat. He did not make the bomb threat. He is blamed, but it is only a misunderstanding. At lunch somebody says he threatened the school, but he was only joking. When he needs witnesses his friends don’t come forward because they want nothing to do with it. One outcast girl heard it and reported that it was just a joke. Then they become best friends.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The unique perspectives and the strength of Ugly Girl make this an engaging read forcing the readers to place themselves on the spectrum of their stand on what is the appropriate reaction to threats of school violence.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Big Mouth and Ugly Girl is a foray into teen fiction by prolific adult writer Joyce Carol Oates. Big Mouth is Matt who is accused of threatening to blow up his high school. Ugly girl is Ursula, a loner and star of the girl’s basketball team who doesn’t feel at home in her skin. Even though she barely knows Matt, she steps in to defend him when everyone else is against him and they form a genuine and affecting friendship. The novel explores the hot topic of school shootings, though there is not an actual shooting, just the supposed threat of one. And it also explores the whole culture of suspicion and paranoia and how tough people have it when they are accused of crimes – even though they are innocent (and in our justice system supposedly innocent until proven guilty). Though all this may sound like pretty heavy reading, the focus is really on Ursula’s and Matt’s characters, their personal and family struggles as well as their growing friendship. Though not as high concept as most of the books I read, I very much enjoy the author’s writing style, character development and storytelling abilities. Despite the “heavy” themes, it is a quick, satisfying read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I found it admirable that Ursula stood up for the truth. Matt was smart, a joker - I'd have laughed if I was there. It was a believable story, although I have no idea whether real detectives would be so clumsy, abrasive and apparently thick, failing to investigate accuser as well as accused. I was disappointed and sad that the teachers didn't appear to support Matt. That his friends' parents told their kids to avoid him, even though they knew him to be innocent, really pisses me off at those parents. I think his friends should have ignored their parents in this case because he was their friend and needed them.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Wonderful. Very unpredictable and suprisingly sweet. Will leave you feeling good and believing that anything is possible. Greatness comes when you least expect it. A little slow toward the middle but the last page makes up for it. Wish there was more to enjoy. I want to read more Joyce Carol Oates now.