52798

Tess is entering sixth grade in her Arizona elementary school. She’d love to be part of the popular crowd, but she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and sometimes the popular kids aren’t as nice as they might be. Unable to ask her parents’ advice, she writes her concerns in her diary and even learns to pray—after all, some people believe God answers prayer, so it’s surely worth a try.

Both prayers and answers to prayer are nicely handled in this convincingly evocative tale. Parents argue, friends’ parents might divorce, and brothers might be pains. Life is filled with all the genuine trials of sixth grade, mean girls, smelly boys, cute boys and more. And the story’s told smoothly, never preachily. It’s a fun read for girls approaching or already in the world of the mean.

Disclosure: I got it on a deal and I enjoyed it. ( )

Tess had a rough fifth grade year with few friends because she was the new girl after a move. Over the summer, though, Tess forges what she thinks is a real friendship with Colleen. After all, Colleen gave her a friends forever necklace that proves it!

As sixth grade starts, Tess assumes she and Colleen will be in the same class--but it doesn't turn out that way. Tess is placed in Ms. Montgomery's class while Colleen is in Mr. Basil's class--along with Lauren who was her best friend from the year before. To Tess's chagrin, Colleen takes up with Lauren as though the summer separation had never happened.

Tess meets a new friend (Erin) in her class, but she still longs to be as close to Colleen as she was over the summer. Colleen and Lauren have started a club, but Colleen tells Tess that to join, she'll have to do an initiation stunt--but the stunts she and Lauren pick are ones that target an unpopular girl at school. So Tess needs to make a decision between doing what's right and bowing to peer pressure.

I'm a little older than the target audience for this book. I enjoyed it, though at times I did think it was a bit simple for an adult. ( )