Relationships

There was learning message in this book about who a true friend really is. If I had a tween girl I would have her read this little book. If I knew a mother of a tween I'd give her this book. A refresher book of of growing up trying to fit in and realizing you need to be true to yourself. ( )

Narrated by cast. Maya thought she had the greatest friends in the world: Brianna, Renee, Darcy and their popular, trend-setting leader, Candace. So she has no idea why they have suddenly shunned her and didn't invite her to Darcy's sleepover. Individual narratives presented by each of the girls provide the differing perspectives on the cruelty of middle school girl cliques. When Brianna is shunned by Candace, she, Maya and Renee realize they've been trapped by Candace's pettiness and opinion-swaying and they declare themselves free. In the meantime, Candace has decided to bring Nicole into her inner circle...We see differing perspectives on the Maya situation from each of the girls and see how exclusion and teasing can bring pain to all involved. The least insight I got was about Candace, the one person I would want to understand most about her manipulative ways. ( )

This book is told from the point of view of four different girls in grade seven. It is a realistic portrayal of the challenges and social difficulties young girls face. Reminiscent of Mean Girls, I would recommended this text as a must read for all middle school students-not just girls. ( )

It’s rare to get the Mean Girls’ point of view portrayed sensitively. Which makes sense for the victimized target readership — I think most kids feel victimized at some point in middle school. But as a teacher, even as I hate what the bullies are doing, they’re still 12-year-old girls and my heart goes out to them. They’re behaving that way for a reason, and I wonder if it might help to recognize themselves in a book where they can also see their victims’ perspective? (Full review at http://www.parenthetical.net/2011/04/23/review-the-girls-amy-goldman-koss-2000/) ( )