She's So Dead to Us

April 1, 2010
Gr 9 Up-Mean-girl socialites are an overworked plot device, but this book deftly explores peer pressure, grudges, and decency. Ally shares the narrative with Jake, the desirable boy who moves into her old luxury home. She and her parents left ritzy Orchard Hill when an investment that her beloved father made turned sour. Unfortunately, he also lost money for other families in their tight clique. Soon afterward, he disappeared from Ally's life. Now she and her mom have moved back to their old neighborhood, but into a cheap condo, and find they are personae non grata to those they loved and trusted. Jake, who's been accepted by the "Cresties," falls for Ally, prompting pranks from his jealous "best friend," Shannen. Ally, who's made friends with other "Norms," is thrust back into hostile territory by their relationship. To complicate matters, she feels guilty about making out with her former friend's steady. Chloe doesn't know and has stayed neutral. Shannen, however, is ready to bare all secrets, including something devastating to Ally. The story ends with Ally's father appearing on her doorstep, so there is sure to be a sequel."Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Grades 8-12 Scott (I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader, 2005) once again tackles the painful subject of cliques. Sixteen-year-old basketball star Ally Ryan and her parents fled their exclusive community 18 months ago after Mr. Ryans bad business deals annihilated their personal fortune. Now, Mrs. Ryans gotten a teaching job at Allys former high school, so she and Ally return (minus Mr. Ryan, who deserted the family) to Orchard Hill. Ally cant resist checking out their old mansion, and she finds handsome soccer star Jake has moved into her bedroom and the exclusive clique shed grown up with. In alternating chapters, narrators Ally and Jake confess their powerhouse attraction to one another, while Allys former and Jakes current crew plans and carries out cruel jokes to humiliate Ally and her mother. Plenty of nongratuitous profanity peppers the realistic dialogue, and subtlety is in short supply. However, Scott knows how to set a hook, and the fast pace will pull readers in for an entertaining (if didactic) read. The surprising, unresolved ending points to a sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)