The Clique

Lembeck, M. (2008). The Clique. DVD, Warner Home Video.

ASIN: B001H1I8KK
$27.98

Viewer's Annotation: Claire and Massie struggle to share the same house, school and friends.

Summary: Following the same basic plot as the first book of the Clique series by Lisi Harrison, the DVD begins with Claire moving into Massie's parent's guest house. Massie is the leader of the most popular clique at her school and Claire lacks the popularity prowess to keep up. Massie treats Claire badly and Claire eventually stoops pretty low to get her back. By the end, each has been kinder to the other than they might have thought possible.

Genre: movie, popularity, friends, new school, family, fiction,

Series : So far, only the first book of the series has been made into a movie.

Evaluation: An enjoyable flick, but not as good as the book.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: The Clique books are huge and though their content isn't enlightening or redeeming, a tween librarian will want to have them on the shelves. The same can be said of the movie version.

Watchalikes :

• Mean Girls
  
• High School Musical
  

Other Useful Info:

• Clique Movie Website
• Trailer:

Reviews:
from Amazon:

Amazon.com
Based on the popular The Clique Book series by Lisi Harrison, The Clique is an entertaining, if somewhat familiar film about a 12-year-old girl whose need to fit in threatens to overshadow her inherent sense of self. Massie (Elizabeth McLaughlin) is the undisputed leader of a clique dubbed "The Pretty Committee" and she and her fellow clique-mates Alicia, Dylan, and Kristen are completely obsessed by high fashion and being the most popular girls in the exclusive Octavian Country Day School for girls. Florida transplant Claire Lyons (Ellen Marlow) is the ultimate in fashion don'ts and when she moves into Massie's guest house and enrolls in her school, it quickly becomes apparent that Massie will stop at nothing to prove her own superiority and make Claire's life miserable. Claire wants nothing more than to fit in and be accepted at her new school, so when befriending Massie doesn't work, she turns to scheming and playing the four friends against one another in an effort to supersede Massie as the queen of popularity. The problem is, Claire's efforts to displace Massie have some very negative effects on Alicia, Dylan, Kristen, her relationship with her mother, and even Claire's ability to like herself. In the end, Claire realizes the importance of being true to oneself and there's the slightest glimmer of hope that even Massie might just consider changing her ways--or not. Something of a The Devil Wears Prada for kids meets Mean Girls, The Clique is a surprisingly likeable film that features a scrumptious palate of tween-sized high couture; healthy doses of insecurity, attitude, and angst; good acting; and an important message about believing in oneself. Bonus features include a featurette on casting the movie with executive producer Tyra Banks and director Michael Lembeck, interviews with the main characters and author Lisi Harrison, a 9-minute exploration of tween couture with Tyra Banks, casting contest winners, gag reel, and Clique Girlz in the studio recording "Here With Me Now." (Ages 7 to 14) --

So Totally Emily Ebbers by Lisa Yee

Yee, L. (2007). So Totally Emily Ebers. (p. 304). Arthur A. Levine Books.

ISBN:0439838479

Price :$16.99 hardback

Reader's Annotation: Emily makes friends at her new school, some of whom are worth keeping, and others that aren't so great.

Summary: Everything is new in Emily's life. She and her mom have moved across country, without her dad. She's started volleyball, which she wasn't at all interested in. Her dad sent her a credit card, for "emergency uses." With her new-found spending power, Emily's making new friends at her school, but she's also getting into trouble with her card. There is a girl on her volleyball team, Millicent, who also doesn't want to be there, and she might be a good friend, but she sure has some secrets. And then there is Stanford Wong, a cute boy who catches Emily's eye. All in all, life is turned around for Emily, but maybe, maybe something good will come out of it.

Genre: book, family, friends, fiction, identity, new school, popularity, series

Series : This book is part of a trilogy. The other two books are Millicent Min Girl Genius and Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time. All three stories retell the same events from the perspectives of each character, so they can be read in any order.

Evaluation: This is a great choice for tweens. Emily is a perfect example of tweendom, sometimes shockingly wise, and other times glaringly dense.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: New school drama, popularity concerns, crushes, and plenty of fashion talk make this a tween staple. Two things I liked about Emily: 1) everyone admits she has a great sense of style, but she's not instantly popular for it. 2) She talks about wearing a double digit dress size, and she's fine with it. Great role model.

Readalikes :

• A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
  
• Allie Finkel's Rules for Girls books by Meg Cabot
  

Other Useful Info:

• Lisa Yee's Website

Reviews:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5–7—It's Emily Ebers's turn to tell about the summer she meets Millicent Min and Stanford Wong, each of whom has charmed readers in earlier books. Emily, who is effervescent and enthusiastic, has her own story to tell. She's just moved to Rancho Rosetta, CA, from New Jersey after her parents' divorce. She directs a lot of anger and unhappiness against her mom, who is also reeling from the change. She writes down her thoughts and feelings in a journal for her dad, who is on the road with a revival tour of his old rock band and has sent the 12-year-old a credit card for her birthday. Emily befriends Millicent at a girls' summer volleyball league where they're the worst players. The rapport between the girls is delightful, as Millie shares her idiosyncratic take on her hometown. Emily meets Stanford and assumes that he is tutoring Millie. When she finds out that her new friends have misled her about the situation, her disappointment is palpable. As in Millicent Min, Girl Genius (2003) and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time (2005, both Scholastic), family is vitally important. In the end, Emily patches things up with her mom and realizes that some changes can be good, even though they may not work out as expected. It's a good message for preteens, as is Emily's insistence on treating others with kindness. Although this book stands on its own, kids will get more pleasure if they read the other two first. With a baby sister on the way for Millicent Min, dare we hope for another sequel?—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, S. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (p. 240). Little, Brown Young Readers.

ISBN:0316013684

Price :$16.99 hardback

Reader's Annotation: Arnold Spirit decides to attend the white school instead of the reservation school and has to live with the reactions of his friends and family.

Summary: Life on the rez was pretty straightforward for Arnold Spirit. He played basketball with his good friend Rowdy, drew cartoons, went to school, and dealt with his family. When a teacher at his school encouraged him to dream bigger, to try harder, Arnold decided to change schools, and to travel long distances every day to attend the white kid school outside the reservations boundaries. Now, at school, he's an outcast, because he's the only Indian there. Worse, at home, he's also sort of an outcast, because it seems like he betrayed his people to go to the white school. Things get even more complicated with his family situtation, but ultimately, Arnold has to find a way to balance his Indian heritage with the desire to have a better life.

Genre: book, coming of age, family, fiction, friends, identity, new school

Series : This book is not part of a series.

Evaluation: This book is heartbreaking at times but impossible to put down.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: Being a tween is about being stuck between two worlds, and Arnold's story will speak to that. The drawings make the book more appealing to struggling readers, and the humor makes the pathos more palatable.

Readalikes :

• The Arrival by Shaun Tan
  
• The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
  

Other Useful Info:

• Sherman Alexi's Website

Reviews:
From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7–10—Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first young adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian from Wellpinit, WA. The bright 14-year-old was born with water on the brain, is regularly the target of bullies, and loves to draw. He says, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He expects disaster when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity, and tribe. The daily struggles of reservation life and the tragic deaths of the protagonist's grandmother, dog, and older sister would be all but unbearable without the humor and resilience of spirit with which Junior faces the world. The many characters, on and off the rez, with whom he has dealings are portrayed with compassion and verve, particularly the adults in his extended family. Forney's simple pencil cartoons fit perfectly within the story and reflect the burgeoning artist within Junior. Reluctant readers can even skim the pictures and construct their own story based exclusively on Forney's illustrations. The teen's determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the handicaps of birth, circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner. Alexie's tale of self-discovery is a first purchase for all libraries.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library

The Clique by Lisi Harrison

Harrison, L. (2004). The Clique. (p. 220). Poppy.

ISBN:0316155772

Price :$9.99 paperback

Reader's Annotation: Claire moves to a new fancy school and has trouble fitting in, especial when super-popular Massie decides to make her life miserable.

Summary: When Claire Lyons and her family move from Florida to New York, they move into the guest house of a good friend of Mr. Lyons until they get settled. It's also the home of Massie Block, the alpha girl in the most popular clique at Octavian County Day school. Because Claire and Massie are both in seventh grade, their parents assume they will be good friends. Massie has no tolerance for Claire's lack of fashion sense, and is determined to make her life miserable. With the help of the other members of her clique, Massie sets to work. Claire is overwhelmed, but determined to get on Massie's good side.

Genre: book, fiction, friends, new school, identity, series, popularity

Series : This book is the first of the Clique series, which currently has 14 titles, including the Clique Summer books.

Evaluation: Surprisingly enjoyable. Obviously full of shallow characters and questionable morals, but these books are hard to put down, and even if I'm mad at the characters, I find myself getting on the hold list for the next installment.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: These books are wildly popular, and the concientious tween librarian will probably get multiple copies to keep wait lists down. Though the characters are shallow and frequently mean to one another, the books are still compelling, because they are fun.

Readalikes :

• The Girls by Amy Goldman Kloss
  
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
  

Other Useful Info:

• The Clique Website

Reviews:
from Teenreads.com

Rich girl Massie is ticked off. She's missing out on her friends' Labor Day shopping spree and spa visit, because her father's friend is moving into their guesthouse with his family. Just because their daughter, Claire, is starting seventh grade at Massie's school, Massie is expected to pal around with her. Never mind that the new girl is a loser in old Keds and overalls who will never fit into Massie's tight circle. So that friend thing? It's never going to happen.

Meanwhile, Claire is nervous. Westchester, New York seems like a new planet compared to Orlando, Florida. And Massie and her friends are the opposite of welcoming. At school, Claire finds all the students dressed identically, and expensively. Massie's group is all about designer wear --- a whole new concept for Claire.

Massie's friends do a number on Claire, including viciously sneaking dabs of red paint onto the back of Claire's white jeans. When Claire's embarrassed male teacher sends her directly to the nurse's office, Massie's friends give her the wrong directions, sending her bumbling into the photography class darkroom.

The clique continues in its unrelentingly cruel tricks on Claire. Claire, however, earns a certain secret grudging respect by handling the harassment with graceful pride. Massie would never admit it to anyone, but she starts to feel a tiny magnetic pull to the new girl, and even feels the slightest twinge of remorse at the way she and her friends treat her. That doesn't change their behavior, though.

In the meantime, Claire wishes deep down that Massie and her pals could be her friends. Instead, she buddies up with fun and funny Layne, who is also not A-list. That friendship ends, though, when Massie steals Claire's new (and only) friend.

Claire enjoys the rare occasions when she is accepted into Massie's group, but she inevitably pays for the pleasure by being targeted with mean pranks by them afterward. Claire's grace under pressure finally cracks, and she deals Massie some payback, sinking low for revenge.

THE CLIQUE is a fun, fast read. The girls slowly reveal that they are more than the cardboard characters they appear to be. Claire is classy and intelligent, but occasionally shows some lapses in judgment. Massie and her friends gradually let slip intriguing hints that they are not quite the shallow monsters they seem.

Any girl who has struggled with wanting to fit in will no doubt gobble this book down, while eagerly reaching for the next one in the series. What will happen next with Claire and Massie? Stay tuned.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls by Meg Cabot

Cabot, M. (2009). Moving Day. (p. 256). Scholastic Paperbacks.

ISBN: 00545040418

Price : $15.99 hardcover

Reader's Annotation: Allie Finkle must stop her parents from moving into a haunted house away from her school and friends.

Summary: Nine year old Allie keeps a list of rules to remind her how to be a good person and a good friend. She knows that even good people sometimes have a hard time remembering all the rules, like "never stick a spatula down your friend's throat." When her parents announce they have bought a new house (which Allie is sure is infested with a zombie hand), Allie does all she can to prevent them from moving. She's not wild about her school or her best friend, but she knows being the new kid won't be great either.

Genre: book, family, fiction, friends, siblings, new school

Series : This book is the first in a series of Allie Finkle stories. There are two books out currently (Moving Day and The New Girl) with more planned.

Evaluation: Allie is wise and silly, gutsy and scared, smart and foolish all at the same time. The book is funny, approachable, and will be well liked by young tweens.

Why it belongs in a Tween Collection: Allie tells it like it is. She's an animal rights activist, she doesn't like it when her best friend whines, and she's clever enough to try and thwart her parents move. Tweens will love this heroine. Also, Meg Cabot is a well known name, and younger tweens will be glad to have something just for them.


Readalikes :

• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Anastasia Krumpnik by Lois Lowry
  

Other Useful Info:

• Meg Cabot's Website
• Allie Finkle's website
  

Reviews:
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. SignatureReviewed by Rachel Vail
In Cabot's (the Princess Diaries) first foray into novels for kids who are still in single digits, her trademark frank humor makes for compulsive reading—as always. The first installment of a new series presents a nine-year-old girl attempting to impose rules for living on her increasingly complex world. Allie is funny, believable and plucky (of course; all girls are plucky, at least in books), but most of all, and most interestingly, Allie is ambivalent.As the book starts, Allie learns that her family is moving across town. It is a mark of Cabot's insight to understand that, to a nine-year-old, a car ride's separation from the world she has known makes that distance as vast as the universe. Allie will be enrolled in a different elementary school, and will therefore be that most hideous thing: the new kid. To make matters worse, the Finkle family will be moving to a dark, old, creaky Victorian, which, Allie becomes convinced, has a zombie hand in the attic. Moving will mean leaving behind not only her geode collection but also her best friend. And here is where the story deepens. Allie's best friend is difficult. She cries easily and always insists on getting her own way. To keep the peace, Allie makes rules for herself, often after the fact, to teach herself such important friendship truisms as Don't Shove a Spatula Down Your Best Friend's Throat.Mary Kate is the kind of best friend anybody would want to shove a spatula down the throat of, is the thing.As Allie marshals her energies to fight the move in increasingly desperate ways, sophisticated readers may well conclude ahead of Allie that the friends she is meeting at the new school are more fun and better for her than spoiled Mary Kate and the cat-torturer, Brittany Hauser. Coming to this realization on their own, however, is part of the empowering fun. Told from the distinctive perspective of a good-hearted, impulsive, morally centered kid, this is a story that captures the conflicted feelings with which so many seemingly strong nine-year-olds struggle. Ambivalence is uncomfortable. It is also a sign of growing up. Early elementary school is all about primary colors, where rules, imposed by adults, are clear guidelines to good behavior and getting along. The more complex hues of the second half of elementary school, when complicated friendship dynamics begin to outpace the adult-imposed rules of home and school, leave many kids floundering and confused. In the character Allie Finkle, Cabot captures this moment of transition and makes it feel not just real, but also fun, and funny.