What If... You Broke All the Rules

October 1, 2007
Gr 7-10-Haley and her gang are back, and once again readers must navigate their way through the novel and select their own outcome. Like the earlier installments, this title has several lackluster possibilities involving family problems, boyfriend decisions, what to do for spring break, and a shoplifting scandal. It is also didactic. For instance, turning in your friends is invariably the wrong answer, and readers are "punished" for bad choices by being forced to reread the book. Many sections end, "Hang your head and go back to page 1." Furthermore, some of the options celebrate the vacuous: "Go to page 120 if you think Haley should try a bolder look with mascara and berry red lipstick." Worse, at times the book fails on the sensitivity meter: "That one must be special ed, poor thing." This title ultimately begs the question, What if]you picked something else for your chick lit needs?"Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL"

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