http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/2009/05/ya-weekend_16.html ( )

I went to the bookstore looking for something silly to read over lunch. And boy was this silly! While I generally appreciate the fictional characters appearing in other settings plot device, in this case it was a little too much. There's a stereotypical young adult plot of girl seeks to fit in at school while being pestered by younger sister, and the teachers-as-literary-ghosts gets bandied about, but no real attention is paid to it until the very end as the characters enter the plot of Moby Dick. Too many things stuffed into one book, and not carried off cleverly as in the Jasper Fforde books of a somewhat similar nature, though perhaps it would have helped if I had started the series at the beginning rather than at the third book. ( )

Miranda Tate is heading back to Bard Academy after at a brutal summer working for her step-mother at her boutique, In The Pink, which sells everything imaginable that is pink. Miranda refers to it as In The Puke and spends most of her time there sitting at the cash register completing her required summer reading of Moby Dick. Miranda is excited about returning to school until she finds out that her sister, Lindsay, is going to be joining her there after running their father’s new Land Rover through the front of In The Pink.Once on campus, Miranda reunites with her friends Blade, Samir, Hana, and of course Heathcliff. She is disgusted to see that Lindsay, who is desperate for the approval of anyone popular, has fallen into the clutches of Parker, Bard’s Queen Bee. Miranda also meets her new dorm monitor, Mrs. P, who happens to be Sylvia Plath and gets off on the wrong foot right away.Miranda also has to deal with her feelings for Ryan - the boy that broke up with her at the end of the previous school year. She can’t decide if she still has feelings for him or not, but feels jealous when he continually gives Parker attention and begins to hang around Lindsay. Mirandra knows she loves Heathcliff but has to keep in mind the rule the school places on them. They aren’t supposed to have any romantic or physical contact or Bard will send him back to Wuthering Heights.When Lindsay disappears, like a couple of the other Bard students, Miranda, Samir, Hana, Blade, Heathcliff, Ryan, and Parker all end up entering the forbidden forest to find her. What they find are pirates roaming the island, one of the faculty members behind all the trouble, and Lindsay causing part of the problems. Can Miranda and her crew save the world again and put everything back into balance? Who does Miranda choose, Ryan or Heathcliff? To see how Moby Dick plays a part in this Bard Academy novel read MOBY CLIQUE by Cara Lockwood. While it can be read as a stand alone novel since the author gives background information to catch up the reader, it will be more enjoyable if the other two novels in the series are read first. ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

In WUTHERING HIGH, Miranda Tate gets sent to the remote boarding school, Bard Academy, on Shipwreck Island off the coast of Maine, because she smashed her dad's Beemer. Throughout WUTHERING HIGH and its sequel, THE SCARLET LETTERMAN, Miranda discovers that Bard has interesting secrets, and slowly adapts to the strange ways of the school. Now, after a summer at home, she's actually looking forward to returning to school.

Things have changed this time, though. Now, her younger, popularity-seeking sister, Lindsay, decides that Bard is the cool place to be. After their father has another car destroyed, Lindsay is beside Miranda on the boat that takes them to the remote island school. Waiting alone at the dock is the mysterious Heathcliff. Readers of the previous novels have come to know that Heathcliff is really the fictional character from the book WUTHERING HEIGHTS, who has been released from the pages of the book for a three year reprieve with the promise that he won't leave the island nor become involved with Miranda.

This is easier said than done. There have been electrical sparks between Miranda and Heathcliff from the first day they encountered each other. Throw in an ex-boyfriend, Ryan, that Lindsay is crushing on. Add a motley group of friends: Blade, the Wiccan ex-roommate; Samir, sent to Bard for refusing to an arranged marriage when he turns 19; and Hana, Miranda's new roommate. And last but not least, don't forget Parker, the popular girl that is out to destroy Lindsay and Miranda for trespassing on her turf.

Now, back at school for her junior year, Miranda hears stories of pirates and buried treasure. Her sister has gone missing to prove to Parker that she deserves Ryan. Instead of settling in to be a good girl this new semester, Miranda and her friends journey into the forbidden forest on the fringe of campus in search of her sister. There, the group of students encounter all sorts of events and try to keep their wits about them.

You will get drawn into the ghost stories that surround Shipwreck Island. The speed of the events that unwind in the forest will keep you engrossed and your heart racing. From pirates, to ancient burial grounds, to the legendary ship Pequod, there is never a dull moment in the story. You will be left feeling winded but wanting more.

Cara Lockwood writes a fascinating story intertwining literary works with a current tale. For those that are not fans of old works of literature, Ms. Lockwood is able to bring some of that knowledge to you without you even realizing you are learning about them anyway. Even for those that have never read the classic MOBY DICK by Herman Melville, references are made to parts of the story that everyone will recognize. You do not have to have read the previous two books in THE BARD ACADEMY series to enjoy this one. Details are much clearer with the background of WUTHERING HIGH and THE SCARLET LETTERMAN, but they are certainly not necessary.

For fans of both modern teen stories and classic works of literature, this will not disappoint! ( )