Rhymes with Witches

May 9, 2005
When the uber-popular clique known as the Bitches asks freshman Jane to be their fourth, they assure her that her life will change forever. There's only one catch: each week Jane must steal something from another girl and put it on the desk of a creepy teacher known as Lurl the Pearl (the girls explain that the only way to gain power is to steal it from another: "For one to rise, another must fall"). Jane thinks it's "an initiation... to prove I'm, like, loyal," until she feels it work and knows some sort of witchcraft is at play. Ultimately, she has to decide if her sudden elite status is worth the cost. The Bitches themselves come across as archetypes (Keisha's responsible, Bitsy's mean and Mary Bryan's sweet), but the feral cats roaming the campus deepen the eerie factor, and Jane's father's desertion of his family and the Bitches' own tragedies add some depth to their characters. Bitsy leads a menacing attack on an unpopular girl that seems to contradict the plot's often-playful spirit, and even Jane's own eventual fall is fairly cruel. Still, readers are likely to get swept away along with Jane as she enjoys gourmet food in the cafeteria, sudden attention from her crush and a birthday party thrown by her classmates (even though it's not her birthday). Ultimately Myracle's (ttyl
) novel is an addictive read with a poignant message about the price of popularity. Ages 14-up.

April 1, 2005
Gr 9 Up -When plain Jane is asked to be one of her high school's ultra-elite clique, "the Bitches," she can't believe it. She's never been remotely popular. The freshman goes through a secret initiation, and all she needs to do is steal something each week from a classmate and leave the object in the office of Lurlene Lear, the early religion teacher who, unbeknownst to Jane, is the controlling force behind the group. During the week in question, the person to whom the object belonged wanes in popularity, while adoration for the Bitch grows. At first, Jane's conscience bothers her, but finding ways to justify her actions becomes much easier as she becomes unbelievably popular. Later, when the Bitches gang up on an innocent girl, Camilla, and threaten to harm her, Jane's conscience revives. She is outraged and calls a halt to their behavior. She expects temporary displeasure from the other Bitches, but doesn't expect them to turn on her. When no one likes Jane, she becomes truly aware of the price she paid for her short-lived popularity. In the end, her best boy friend comes around and she can, at least, count on his loyal friendship. There are magical elements in this novel, and plenty of creepy touches. Both take away from the book's realism, but add deliciously to its suspense. The language and situations are provocative, but teens will gobble the story up." -Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2005
Gr. 8-11. The author of " ttyl "[BKL My 15 04] offers another look at the politics of high-school popularity, adding an unexpected blend of horror, fantasy, and dark comedy. Freshman Jane thinks she's a loser, so she's ecstatic when her school's elite clique, the Bitches, tap her to join. Then she hears rumors that the Bitches earn their magnetism through witchcraft, siphoning popularity away from other girls. It's "bitchcraft," Jane jokes, before realizing the truth behind the gossip and becoming embroiled in a terrifying power struggle. Like a campfire ghost story, this has plenty of over-the-top elements that serve little purpose other than to amplify the eerie atmosphere, and explanations of how the Bitches originated are labored. Even so, teens will recognize the raw, realistic portrayal of brutal high-school bullying (including graphic slurs such as "cunt" and "dick"), as well as Jane's well-characterized yearning to be accepted, and horror fans will shiver as their internal creep-meters shoot into overload.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)