clique Books

Amy Flowers is a very lucky girl. She has been granted a full scholarship to Allington Academy, the ritziest school around. Amy can't wait to start seventh grade at her new school and enjoy all the perks that come with being a student at Allington. But Amy isn't prepared for The League.

The League is ruled by mean girl Fiona, who isn't very fond of newcomers, and she's not making anything easy. If Amy wants to join The League, she has to pass Fiona's tests.

Amy struggles with wanting to join The League and be popular, but she also sees Fiona for the mean girl she is and knows that someone should bring her down. Will Amy have enough courage to take on The League's leader?

ACCIDENTALLY FABULOUS is the newest offering in the Candy Apple line from Scholastic. I love the Candy Apple books because they are sweet and fun and great for tweens looking for clean chick lit. This title is perfect for fans of THE CLIQUE Series or the movie Mean Girls. With a sequel coming soon, this is one book you'll want to add to your summer reading list!

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

The Private series returns, with a great sequel with an even greater ending.

But first, the beginning starts out as a school party, where Reed enjoys the activities that most teenagers enjoy: drinking. As a Billings girl, she finally feels that she's part of something. And with Thomas still AWOL, she's single. But not for long.

Upon that party enters Walt Whittaker, the round influential student who talks like Mr. Darcy and acts like him too. He finds a quick interest in Reed, even though she's drunk. Together, they take part in some "compromising" positions in the forest, with roomate Natasha to scrap book it all.

When Reed finds out that Natasha has proof of their actions, she's caught in another dilemma with a Billings girl. Natasha orders Reed to find any dirt on Noelle, Kiran, Ariana, and Taylor to prove that they kicked Leanne out. If she doesn't, those little pictures ensure Reed's expulsion.

If you think that's hard, try being the Cinderella of the Billings house. Reed, being the newbie of the house, is assigned cleaning duty roughly every morning. But there's always a silver lining to every problem, for this becomes an easier way to find out the Billings girls' dirt.

As she tries to find information enough to satisfy Natasha and get Walt off her back, Reed is also introduced to the idea of the Legacy, a mysterious party held only for those of presitgious families from generations back. A new party? Whoo! Except guess what, Reed isn't invited.

The only way she can get an IN is if Walt invites her, because his family dates so far back that he gets an exclusive plus one. But with his obvious infatuation for Reed, this doesn't seem to be a problem.

Or does it? When Reed finds out that her fellow sophmore friend Constance Talbot has been harboring a huge crush on long-time friend Walt, Reed doesn't know what to choose: party or friendship?

Well, with the constant promises of Thomas attending the party, Reed can't help but choose the shallow option. As Walt's guest, it ensures her an invite to the Legacy, as well as the cold shoulder from Constance.

With that in mind, she also deals with her bargain with Natasha. As she digs for information on the Billings girls, Reed finds out that Kiran is a closet-binge eater, Taylor is a psycho, Noelle keeps scarily nude pictures of her boy toy, and that Ariana assisted (with the help of Noelle) in the expulsion of Leanne Shore. Bingo. Information obtained.

But Reed is also stuck with another dilemma: destroy her friends or destroy her Easton career? Her, being the ever good friend, confronts the girls on the information she snooped before the party, expecting an instant kick out from Billings.

Surprisingly, they don't kick her out. Don't even smack her. Instead, they gift her with an amazing gown for the party with no questions asked. As always, Reed is confused. But that's not the only thing that confuses her.

Enter Josh Hollis, the hot blonde roommate/friend of Thomas who becomes a friend to Reed. But within reading, readers know that the bond he seeks out of Reed is NOT friendship, but something more. That much is apparent when Reed gets jittery around him, and he around her.

They both anticipate to see Thomas at the party, but are sadly disappointed when he didn't appear. Instead, Reed finds Natasha making out....with a girl...Leanne Shore, to be precise. In that moment, Natasha reveals that she was blackmailed to blackmail Reed. If she didn't, then the Billings girls would spread all over that Leanne was a lesbian (her being still in-closeted).

Reed then confronts the Billings girls with anger, but they assure her that it was necessary to gain her trust. With Reed being trustworthy, they can now count on her as a real Billings girl and trust her with all secrets. Well, maybe not all of them.

More secrets erupt as the Easton elite return from the party, all drunk and partied out. Reed and Josh are found cozy, napping on top of each other adorably. But this picture is instantly torn when they find out what is awaiting them at Easton.

News...of Thomas, dead.

It was a thrilling ending, yet I sort of had a thing for Thomas. Oh well, fictional men can't live forever (only some). But this opens new opportunities for the next book. More questions need to be resolved and answered, and that's why this book series is so addicting. It always leaves you wanting more.

The sequel was just as good as the first one, and certainly paves a promising path for the third.

Invitation Only
By: Kate Brian

Reed has entered the high-classed, lip-glossed world of the Billings. All of her fairytales are just beginning, but when her boyfriend disappers everything seems to crumble. Will she be strong enough to survive? Could the disappearance of her boyfriend Thomas Pearson be her down fall in the Billings?
Reed is a normal teen who is just beginning her sophisticated life in Billings. Reed's drive and compassion for Thomas makes her investigate farther into his disappearance. But not everybody at Easton is looking for answers to his disappearance. Could they be hiding something? Her search will eventually lead her into another guy's arms over the lonely Thanksgiving Break, but he could be hiding some skeletons in his closet.
I loved this book because while Reed was on her journey for the truth I felt like I was right beside her. It was fascinating and kept me on the edge of my seat. It is a fast pace read with tiny cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. This is a book for people who like to be captured into an alternate reality of someone else's life. Will you join Reed on her journey for the truth?

By: Kim G.

Reed Brennan is now a Billings Girl. She goes to parties and is looked up to and envied by most students on campus. Yet things still aren't perfect. One of the other Billings Girls takes pictures of her at a party with a boy that could easily get her expelled. Then they use it to black mail. To make it all worse, her boyfriend, Thomas, is still missing. No one knows where he is but they do know where he'll be at on Halloween - The Legacy. It's an exclusive party that only the most important legacies are able to attend. Unless you can go as someone's plus-one. Which is what Reed plans to do. Of course, not everyone can take a plus-one and the one person willing to take Reed is the one person she doesn't want to go with. But if Thomas will be there, Reed's willing to do anything possible to be there.


Invitation Only, the second book in the Private series by Kate Brian, is an amazing read. I didn't want to put it down once I started. It was full of drama, some action, and gave you an inside look at the life of private schools. The characters were easy to relate to and they make you wonder what's going to happen next, especially the Billings Girls. The ending was surprising but good. I think the first chapter of the next book should have been the last chapter though. I really enjoyed this and can't wait to get my hands on the third book. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys drama, romance, and the crazy life of rich private school students.

Reed Brennan has become something of a celebrity now that she's a Billings girl. She has won the admiration, awe, scorn and jealousy of everyone at the Easton Academy. But they have no idea how things are really like for her at the famous dorm. After all, they don't know that Reed is the servant girl at Billings; making the beds, serving breakfast and doing all sorts of humiliating chores for the fabulous four -- Noelle, Arianna, Kiran and Taylor. It doesn't matter. She'll do whatever it takes to be accepted. Being a Billings girl is a privilege, not a right, especially for a girl with a humble background like her. But things become complicated when Natasha, her new roommate, takes some incriminating photos of her with resident eighteen-year-old hottie Walt Whittaker, and threatens to send them to the dean. The catch? Reed has to snoop around and find proof that the fabulous four were responsible for the removal of Natasha's former roommate. With her position as the dorm's Cinderella, it shouldn't be so hard to search for this evidence, should it? In her search, Reed discovers secrets about her new "friends" that she wishes she'd never known. As if that weren't bad enough, her boyfriend Thomas is still missing. Her only shot of meeting face to face with Thomas is to get an invitation to the Legacy -- an exclusive party that only a selected few get invited. In order to attend the exclusive party, Reed has to become Whittaker's "plus one," which means she has to go out with him, to the dismay of her former roommate Constance, who has a major crush on Whittaker. Will Cinderella make it to the ball with her dignity ever so slightly intact? And will her Prince Charming be there, waiting to whisk her away from all the madness? After all, if she finds the evidence Natasha is looking for, she'll have to rat out her friends, or she'll be out of Easton faster than you can say "busted." Sigh. So much drama. It appears that being a Billings girl isn't as easy or as glamorous as Reed had thought.

This is a great follow-up to the very riveting Private. We get a sense of who the Billings girls are and how far they go just to amuse themselves at someone else's expense. Yet there is also a part of them -- a more human, generous part -- that makes them the most unique, intriguing girls at Easton Academy. The girls are rich, beautiful and have the world kissing their feet, but they also hold a mystique that overrides all of that stuff. I like the way Brian is handling that part of the story. These aren't the typical rich and spoiled boarding school teens that are so common in YA books these days. They truly are an enigma, and it shows throughout the pages of the book. Reed is still somewhat annoying in her desperate quest to fit into their social circle, but it is understandable. She, after all, has never been accepted anywhere before, and getting the attention of the most fascinating girls she's ever set her eyes on, not to mention the admiration of some rather hot guys, would cause any teenage girl to drool in the same way. She has two new love interests in this installment -- Whittaker and Thomas's roommate Josh. I love Josh; dislike Whittaker, who comes across as one of those rich, spoiled high-class twits. Very one-dimensional, and he's meant to be that way, from the looks of things. There is a big twist at the very last chapter, one that leaves me wanting to find out what happens next. I can't wait to pick up Untouchable. In the meantime, I cannot recommend Invitation Only enough. I take away one star because I was able to figure out what was going on with the whole blackmail thing by the time the story gets around to it, but it's still a brilliant read. This series is proving to be very addicting.

This was really good!
i couldnt wait to find out what had happened to reed!!!
lol :]

I enjoyed reading this short but good book.
I wish it was longer because I've enjoyed the books in this series so much.
I have bought all of the books in the series and I have read many of them over again. I really wish they were longer though. They only last me a night worth of reading.
I enjoy the books, I think, because i can relate to them. I'm the same age as the main character and when I do the quizzes she does on her computer I will often get the same answer as the girl gets.
You also have to read them in order. Get the first one (I believe it's "CAN YOU GET AN F IN LUNCH?") and then the second and so on, before this one other wise it doesn't make much sense.
It's a pretty good book though!

Jenny McAfee has a ton of best friends but isn't the most popular girl in her school, since she definitely isn't in with the Pops. But she doesn't let that bother her, since this year she beat out Addie, her ex-best friend who just became popular, for President in the 6th grade student council race. But that only made Addie VP.

The first meeting of the 6th, 7th and 8th grades Presidents and Vice Presidents turns interesting when ideas for raising money are thrown around -- and Jenny goes against Addie's idea for another dance, and votes instead for a carnival. Addie, who is so used to being in charge of everything, wants to make Jenny pay for not backing her up, even though they haven't been friends for like forever.

So Addie decides to make a bet with Jenny that whoever has the least popular booth at the carnival has to wear their pajamas to school, the not so pretty ones, and of course Jenny agrees.

Then enters the new girl, Sam, the girl who makes all the Pops in 6th grade look like 5th graders. Jenny and Addie both see this as the perfect opportunity to make their booth better than the other's, but it is up to Sam to decide who she wants to be friends with.

Sweet and funny, this next installment in the HOW I SURVIVED MIDDLE SCHOOL series is one that readers do not want to miss. Who would have guessed that there was so much drama in the 6th grade?

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

This book tells the story of how Jenny survives middle school. She made a bet with her best friend turned enemy to raise the most money at their booth in the school fair. The bet gets harder with the arrival of a cool new girl named Sam.Who will Sam side with? Will she side with Jenny and her friends? Or will she decide to join Addie(that`s Jenny ex-best friend)and her friends? You need to read the book to find out. Everything in this book was good.

I have a daughter on the cusp of middle school, when the girls are just starting to get into the familiar patterns of female-to-female relational aggression so common at that stage. I ordered this book figuring perhaps it would be a good resource for her for dealing with some of these issues. I have read several books for adults that deal with these issues ("Reviving Ophelia," "Odd Girl Out," "Queen Bees and Wannabes" and such), but they tend to lack practical advice for the girls in the midst of these things.

This book is geared, instead, toward the girl facing this world on a daily basis. Overall, I think it's a decent resource, with a description of the behaviors a girl is likely to encounter, advice for how to deal with them, quizzes, examples of how other girl dealt with things...

There were, though, some things that keep me from giving this book a better rating. I think the suggestions were pretty simplistic, and while not as bad as simply saying "ignore them and eventually they'll leave them alone," they didn't really go into the REAL consequences of taking some of the recommended stands from the book. The author makes it sound as if once a girl rattles off a speech from the book, the "mean chicks" will leave her alone... which isn't quite the reality most of us have encountered. I'm not saying any of it is bad advice, I just think it paints a rosy picture of how quickly and easily these things work.

Another thing that bothered me was how much time was spent on excusing the offending girls' behaviors. The gossip should be embraced for her exceptional story telling skills, the bully should be pitied because she's probably being bullied at home, and so on. These may be true in some cases, but it's such a simple after school special way of looking at the world - get to the root of this other girl's issue and she'll suddenly be miss congeniality. Everything seems neatly wrapped up in a bow far too frequently in the book.

(The other annoyance was the pop culture references and attempts at slang which rapidly date an otherwise still contemporary book. It's hard enough for adult editors at magazines to keep up with this without sounding ridiculous to teens and adults... the shelf life of a book makes it all the more pronounced.)

All in all, I would recommend this as a conversation starter and to give some guidance to a girl who occasionally encounters rough behavior, but if you have - or are - a child who is truly bullied on a day-to-day basis, don't expect a life changing experience.

"It couldn't be better written than this!!! A great book for teens, and a Plus for parents to get to understand their girls what they go through in their academic life; although we all go through bullying; however, time changes and new "Tricks" are often created. That's Erika I know of, happy! happy! happy! and trying to share her laughter, love and self confidence to all..I like the qoutations at the beginning of every chapter, it gives the "bullied" or "victim" a sense of courage in handling the "Mean Chicks""
Erika summarizes her "Power of Several" by recommending to the girls more books, magazines, and internet resources to help them get "through the day with Smarts and Style"..Well done, Erika!!!

This book has the ability to connect with the girls experiencing the negative clique effects, not just her parents. I recommend it highly

Wonderful help for a 13 year old daughter. She read it with great interest and I feel it helped her understand some of the problems she is experiencing as a 13 year old

This book is a must for all young girls. This book is "real" and is a great foundation for developing character for young girls who must deal with the rough tough meaness of the female world. It validates the sad reality and garbage stuff that's really going on among young girls.

Reed Brennan's scholarship to Easton Academy is her ticket out of Croton, Pennsylvania, where everything is ordinary and boring, and where her pill-popping mom resides. To outsider Reed, Easton Academy is both sophisticated and intimidating, and it's obvious that Reed doesn't fit in, but she refuses admit defeat and go home. And then she meets the Billings Girls, the most powerful, beautiful, smart, and successful girls on campus - not to mention elite. These girls are envied by every other girl in the school, especially Reed, who vows to be accepted into their inner sanctum. But her crusade for acceptance isn't going to be easy, and any slipup on Reed's part may put Billings out of her reach forever.

At first glance, the Private series may appear to be just another lame story about over-spoiled girls and their exploits. However, I found Private to be much better than that. The plot is rich with suspense and intrigue as Reed navigates the socially dangerous territory at Easton, but what really separates Private from other Gossip Girl knockoffs, is that Reed actually has a conscience; she's not so ruthless as that she would do anything to get what she wants, and that's very refreshing. The private boarding school setting may seem overused, but it's really the perfect place for this story. I really liked how there was always an element of danger to the story, whether it was being caught outside after hours or a secret on the verge of being spilled. Private and the subsequent books its series are sure to thrill readers with their drama, secrets, and peek into the private lives of the young and elite.

Strangely, though Private is the first book in its series, it's the last one I've read due to a bookstore mix-up when I first began reading this series (I started with the second book). I definitely recommend Private as well as the other books in the series as an intriguing and dramatic read.

When I first saw this book, I thought "Oh no, not another teen book". But then a couple of my friends convinced me to read it, and I'm glad I did.

Yes, Private is a teen book, but it isn't glamour-coated like the others are. Instead, the books series is more mysterious and serious, dealing with deaths, drugs, alcohol, and even murders. I find it strange how girls everywhere like reading about other girls with perfect little lives; what they should be focusing on is girls who DON'T have perfect lives.

The story starts with sophmore Reed Brennan who comes from a dingy home filled with a druggie mom, a hopeless highschool, and a job at the nearest Wendy's. Her life is turned upside down when she is accepted as a scholarship student at Easton Academy, a school for the rich, smart, and priveleged.

Her luck heightens even more when she meets the devilishly handsome senior Thomas Pearson, who finds a quick interest in her. But truly, the story for her life at Easton first starts when she encounters the Billings girls; the females of Easton who live in the most prestigious boarding house.

They are everything that Reed isn't, and that drives her to strive to become like them. Her first sighting of them happened through a window, and they caught her peeping at them. Thus, Reed was so cruelly known afterwards as, "Glass-licker".

But Ariana Osgood, the compassionate of the Billings, invited Reed to sit with her and her friends, thus starting Reed's strange friendship with Easton's elite.

Along with Ariana, the most influential of Billings include Kiran Hayes, the model; Taylor Bell, the scholar; and lastly, Noelle Lange, the ring leader. They are all beautiful and powerful, but Reed soon finds that everything on the surface is not as it seems.

She finds out that Kiran, the most beautiful girl at Easton, dates a geek (to which Reed has to break up). Also, she finds out that Thomas Pearson is off limits, seeing as that the Billings girls disapprove of him.

Either way, that didn't stop the spark from igniting a full flame. Reed and Thomas's relationship intensified, even when against the Billings girls orders, until the point where Reed loses her virginity.

To break in with some negativity, I find it strange that Reed, a girl who I thought was level headed and wise, loses her virginity to a guy she just met. But hey, love is love. Strange to the end.

But as their love heightens, so do the demands of the Billings girls. From insane hazing rituals to constant orders at the lunch line, Reed is treated more like a pack mule than a friend. Because of this, she feels that life on the inside isn't as glamorous as she once thought.

Suddenly, her mind changes as they start treating her like a friend: with Taylor helping Reed out in school, Noelle becoming her soccer buddy, Ariana always being the most likeable, and sharing a secret bond with Kiran.

But Reed's life takes a huge spin when she finds out that her boyfriend is, in reality, a drug dealer. But as any love-struck girl, she falls back into his arms because they actually understand each other. Thomas, from an alcoholic, gambling family and Reed, with her overdosing mom.

Their relationship has their ups and downs, but definitely goes hell-under when Reed attends a party and is pushed by a drunk and demanding Thomas. With the assistance of the Billings girls, she escapes the scene, but not without a broken heart.

The heart is instantly repaired as Thomas apologizes. But the story turns strange when Billings girl, Leanne Shore, is mysteriously expelled for "cheating". With her expulsion means that there is room in the Billings house, and three guesses who gets that room: Reed.

Once again, her heart breaks. At the end, Thomas disappears, and no one knows where he went off to. He just....left. Erupting even more questions. Instilling even more mystery.

This book is described to be just like the A-List, or Gossip Girl, but it really isn't. Private is on its own level, with the sense of interesting plot twists, as well as having rich and sophisticated characters.

Kate Brian takes us into the world of boarding school elite, looking through the eyes of an outsider. It's a cliched outlook, but it's good. It was both enjoyable and a great read.

was alright. a little boring. seemed to be copying the It Girl series only the girls are meaner. and what is with the skeletons? on the back of the book it said something about skeletons but in the book it never mentioned anything. too predicable

This was the first series i read and am still currently reading. It starts out kinda of slow but is a great story about boyfriends, "fitting in" and lots of events i don't want to ruin for you. I have read all of the books in the series so far, which keep getting better and better. Kate Brian always leaves these books with something that leaves you hungry for more.

I started buying the Private series for my 12 yr to read. I must say she loves this book. After finishing the 1st book she could barely wait for the 2nd one to come in the mail. I went ahead and ordered the 2nd & 3rd at the same time. She loves it and has a very hard time even putting it down. Great choice for middle school to early high school age girls

I got this book for a class I was taking and the book part was fine - but the video it came with was a pain to get working, and then it would skip out (you had to open through scanning or something I don't remember exactly)

I like this book because it has stories submitted by other teenagers so my daughter knows she is not the only one dealing with the issues.

Odd Girl Speaks Out is a book that I can use as a reference in my position as a middle school administrator. The stories told by the teenagers in this book truly help to explain the complexities of adolescent relationships. I laughed and I cried at these bravely shared experiences that happen more often that we'd like to admit. I plan on actually reading some of the stories aloud to girls struggling to fit in with their peers.

www.rachelsimmons.com

First off, I wanted to hook you up with the author's official site.

I think that this book is a MUST READ for any 8-12th grader in America! This coupled with the first book, Odd Girl Out coincide with the angst of being a young woman in this day and age. Thank God I don't have to be a teenager now!

I have used this text in my book club and it sparks great discussions and is a stepping stone to creating your own student anthology. It works well with tons of films and books, like Mean Girls, 13, or Speak. I can't even think of all the LIFETIME movies that coincide with this book as well.

It is inevitable that our daughters will experience some sort of emotional bullying. Prepare yourself and the ones you love by reading this book and understanding the dynamic.
This book helped me to see how my natural reactions
"Well Ill just speak to her parents" WRONG
"Honey Just talk with her and it will work out" WRONG
"She is such a rotten kid! How can she do that?" WRONG

WRONG WRONG WRONG
Sigh.
It hasn't changed since we were young- its only better enabled by technology. In any case- information is the best weapon. Read this with your daughter before it happens- you may be able to avoid heartache.

This book was recomended by my 6th grader's school counselor after she started making some questionable friend choices. We moved to a new area about a year ago and my two middle school daughters went from a very conservative charter school to a tight knit small town public school. My youger (6th grader) daughter has had a more difficult time adjusting and this helped a lot. My older daughter has always been the over-achiever, and expects the same of her sister. This book hleped a lot even within their relationship as I would consider my older child a "queen bee". This book helped my daughter open up to me more because it was easier for her to start a converstaion about something she read in the book, that happened to someone else, and it would lead us into things she is or has been going through. I read Queen Bees and Wannabes while she was reading this and it seemed to work out well, gave us a common thread and set the stage for planned conversations, something difficult to do well with girls this age.

this book is one of deh books that i've becum so interested in.i totally luv this.=]but of course it's for middle schoolers,yu can tell by deh title.i thought it was lik,hilarious,it was a little.a really great book.i recomend yu to read,um...the whole series!

Jenny McAfee uses a middle school survival website and the student handbook to help her survive her first year at Joyce Middle School. Jenny's "best friend forever" has found a new group of friends who are popular, or at least they think they are.

This is the age old story of the cool kids and the not so cool kids. So, who is the coolest?

Nancy Krulik is a wonderful author and tells this story in an entertaining and contemporary manner. I wish I could have read this series when I was in middle school.

My only negative comment is that the website that she refers to so often in the book does not seem to exist.

I loved this book! Throughout the book there are quizzes. In the book Jenny is starting her first day of middle school.She`s been gone at sleep away camp over the summer. During the summer Jenny`s best friend Addie Wilson gets a chance to be one of the Pops, the most popular girls in middle school and takes it. At first she was just giggling and agreeing with everything mean that her new friends Dana and Clarie say about Jenny then she`s saying mean stuff about her! Jenny finds the first week of middle school hard until she meets Chloe who introduces her to her friends Marc, Liza, Josh, Marilyn and Carolyn.My favorite part in this book is when Jenny met Chloe and her friends. This book got me wondering what would happen in the next in the series called Madame President. I hope my review was helpful and I hope you enjoy the book!

A horror experienced by just about everyone - the first days of middle school. Changing classes, finding your way around, trying to keep old friends and making new ones - it's one potential disaster after another.

Jenny McAfee is excited and scared all at the same time. After eight weeks away at summer sleepover camp, she feels pretty confident that she's got what it takes to conquer middle school. She doesn't realize that her BFF (best friend forever) has suddenly become part of the popular crowd. It's amazing the changes that can happen when you're gone a few weeks over the summer.

The first frightening day finds Jenny dressed all wrong, rushing to class, and getting lost on the way to the cafeteria. The eighth graders play the famous `take the elevator by the pool trick,' and Jenny totally falls for it. When she does finally find the cafeteria, there's no room at her friends' table and she eats all alone in the telephone booth. It's almost more than she can take. How can she even think about coming back for day number two?

Nancy Krulik begins a new series with CAN YOU GET AN F IN LUNCH? by creating Jenny, a character most readers will find more familiar than they probably want to admit. This quick read is filled with typical frustrations of being a middle schooler. Added bonuses are little pop quizzes Jenny says she finds on a middle school survival website. Readers can try the quizzes right along with Jenny and her friends.

Middle grade readers, especially girls, are sure to enjoy this series.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Jenny McAfee and her new friends have survived the first few weeks of middle school. It is time to choose their extracurricular activities, which means showing up in the cafeteria after school to sign up for the after-school clubs. There is always a mad rush to get signed up before the `Club Filled' sign goes up on each table. Jenny has no idea which club would be the right one for her until Rachel and Felicia encourage her to join the student government group.

Student government? There's a method behind their madness. Rachel and Felicia have heard that Addie, of the hated Pops, is running for class president, and they are sure that Jenny could give her some needed competition. It's the best possible plan - one of the regular people beating out one of the popular people. Just think what could be accomplished with a class president who cared about everyone, not just the Pops.

Once Jenny adjusts to the idea, things really start to roll. Her friends pitch in and create posters, bake cookies, and even make a video for her own personal website. Everyone helps scheme and plan ways to beat Addie. Unfortunately, Jenny begins to think some of the plans might be a bit over-the-top, and there's also the complication of a possible spy among the volunteers.

In book number two of the HOW I SURVIVED MIDDLE SCHOOL series, following Can You Get An F In Lunch? (How I Survived Middle School), Nancy Krulik continues the middle school adventures of Jenny and her friends. Just like the first book, MADAME PRESIDENT is fast-paced and easy reading. Ms. Krulik continues to include the fun quizzes that encourage readers to play along.

This is definitely a must-have series for middle grade girls.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Jenny McAfee is back in the halls of Joyce Middle School. Her plan to join an after school club is turned sideways when her friends suggest that she run for president of the sixth grade. Guess who the opposing candidate is? You got it! Jenny's oh so very cool and popular friend, Addie!

I love the drama and politics of student elections and this book takes you from the speeches to the results.

Nancy Krulik is a wonderful author and tells this story in an entertaining and contemporary manner. I wish I could have read this series when I was in Middle School.

My only negative comment is that the website that she refers to so often in the book does not seem to exist.

For my book review, I read How I Survived Middle School: Madame President by Nancy Krulik. My book is a realistic fiction book. It maybe short, but I loved it. I know you would, too, if you read it.
In the beginning, the not-so-popular girl named Jenny wants to be sixth grade president. She finds out that she's running up against the most popular girl in school, Addie. Addie then uses bribery to get votes. For example, she said she would let everyone who voted for her go swimming in her pool. Addie and Jenny used to be best friends, but when Addie had the chance to become popular, she took it. Therefore, Addie has embarrassing pictures and secrets of Jenny. She uses the pictures and hangs them up all over school so everyone can see ho big of a "loser" Jenny is. Jenny and her friends spy on the pops( the popular girl) and listen to their gossip and uses it to make them turn against each other. When one of them becomes president, the other becomes the vice president. You'll have to read the book to find out more.
I loved... no wait... I LOVED this book. It teaches girls about respect and kindness so they won't hurt each other's feelings, or in this case, make the opponent lose. This book is suited for all ages, but you won't see most people over 15 reading it. Thank you for reading my review.

Love,
The author