Pretty Little Devils

February 1, 2006
Gr 8 Up -The four Pretty Little Devils are the most popular young women in their California high school, more so even than the cheerleaders. They are also a little bit naughty; they bend the school rules and get away with it. They have a rigid code for their group, including intervening when one of their own is -slipping - (e.g., Ellen -s hairstyle is unacceptable). Hazel has worshiped the PLDs from afar and is surprised and thrilled when they invite her to join them. Soon after her initiation, however, it becomes clear that something is radically wrong when the head cheerleader -the PLDs - sworn enemy -turns up dead. This fast-paced read is interlaced with chat-room conversations, blog entries, and text messages. Unfortunately, the dialogue is stilted, the characters are static and stereotypical, and the narrative seems to normalize underage drinking. The plot also fails to ring true: popular kids rarely bring a -nobody - into the fold. Nevertheless, the gripping suspense may attract R. L. Stine fans looking for another author. An additional purchase for libraries with extensive, well-circulating horror series collections." -Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, IL"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2006
Gr. 9-12. Teens who think this is just a chick-lit book will find more than they bargained for. Hazel has looked longingly in the direction of the popular four-girl clique the Pretty Little Devils, but she is amazed when the group's leader, Sylvia, beckons her into the inner circle. Hazel quickly learns that things look different from the inside, where Sylvia rules with both carrots and sticks, even when it comes to the girls' love lives. Some of the narrative is in the form of chat-room discussion and text messaging, but it's the personal blog of "Happy2BMe" that alerts readers that someone is getting pretty angry about the goings-on of the popular set--that and the fact that first animals, then people, start showing up brutally murdered. Holder infuses some of the terror of horror movies (which play a role in the story) into this page-turner while capturing the capriciousness and cruelty of teenage life. The murderer's identity, revealed on the last page, doesn't really square with who's been murdered and how, but the book delivers anyway. A stylish cover (black legs and a devil's tail against a pure red background) entices.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)