The Clique
By Lisi Harrison
Summary: Seventh grade Massie Block's world is shaken when an old friend of her dad's moves to Westchester from Florida. The Lyons family isn't just moving to Westchester, they are moving into Massie's guest house and her mom expects her to buddy up with the Lyon's daughter Claire. From her fashion style to her personality there is no way Claire stands a chance of joining Massie's quartet of friends. After many pranks, loads of gossip, and mean girl drama, the reader is left wondering if Massie and Claire will ever be able to become friends in book two.
Harrison, L. (2004). The Clique. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
My Impression: This series receives a B from me. The series is predictable and a little extreme but has great appeal to middle school girls. Packed with the daily drama preteen and teenage girls face, this book is sure to keep many girls reading. I would hesitate to recommend this series to girls still in elementary (4th and 5th grade) due to mild language and the girls' behavior.
Professional Reviews:
School Library Journal (June 1, 2004)
Gr 5-8-- Claire Lyons moves with her parents from Florida to wealthy Westchester County, NY. Until they can get settled, the family stays in the guest house of Mr. Lyons's college buddy, who happens to have a daughter who is also in seventh grade. Expected to welcome her, Massie instead chooses to make Claire's life miserable for no other reason than she's the new girl. Massie enlists her clique of friends at Octavian Country Day School, all part of the beautiful and popular crowd, to help with the harassment, which ranges from catty comments on Claire's clothes to spilling red paint on her white jeans in a conspicuous spot. Tired of it all, Claire tries to fight back, but then the abuse worsens. The book has trendy references kids will love, including Starbucks in the school, designer clothes, and PalmPilots for list making. However, this trendiness doesn't make up for the shallowness of the characters or the one-dimensional plot. Nor is the cruelty of the clique redeemed with any sort of a satisfying ending. The conclusion leaves one with the feeling that a sequel is in the works. Amy Goldman Koss's The Girls (Dial, 2000) shows the same cruelty of girls with a more realistic story and resolution.
Pierce, D. (2004, June 1). The clique [Review of the book The clique, by Lisi Harrison]. School Library Journal, 50(6), 143. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
School Library Journal (June 1, 2004)
Gr 5-8-- Claire Lyons moves with her parents from Florida to wealthy Westchester County, NY. Until they can get settled, the family stays in the guest house of Mr. Lyons's college buddy, who happens to have a daughter who is also in seventh grade. Expected to welcome her, Massie instead chooses to make Claire's life miserable for no other reason than she's the new girl. Massie enlists her clique of friends at Octavian Country Day School, all part of the beautiful and popular crowd, to help with the harassment, which ranges from catty comments on Claire's clothes to spilling red paint on her white jeans in a conspicuous spot. Tired of it all, Claire tries to fight back, but then the abuse worsens. The book has trendy references kids will love, including Starbucks in the school, designer clothes, and PalmPilots for list making. However, this trendiness doesn't make up for the shallowness of the characters or the one-dimensional plot. Nor is the cruelty of the clique redeemed with any sort of a satisfying ending. The conclusion leaves one with the feeling that a sequel is in the works. Amy Goldman Koss's The Girls (Dial, 2000) shows the same cruelty of girls with a more realistic story and resolution.
Pierce, D. (2004, June 1). The clique [Review of the book The clique, by Lisi Harrison]. School Library Journal, 50(6), 143. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Library Uses: Use this book for an online book group for girls only. Put up posters and segments in the school's weekly paper advertising the up coming group.
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