How to Survive Mean Girls

November 1, 2013

Gr 6-9-These busy books are designed to look like magazines, with Cosmo Girl-like subtitles on the cover and lists, quizzes, peppy photos, and personal stories against a background of pastel patterns inside. They are not designed for classrooms, and, with most of the writing boiled down to bullets and text boxes, they don't contain much report-worthy information. That leaves them to being used as guidance resources, and in this context they should be taken with a grain of salt. For example, Being Dumped suggests talking to a teacher about a break-up, which is inappropriate. The books will best serve browsers who are looking for a slightly tongue-in-cheek treatment of teen angst with some helpful nuggets here and there. Adolescents needing serious assistance will have to look elsewhere.

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.