Nerd Girls--A Catastrophe of Nerdish Proportions

June 1, 2012
Defiantly nerdy and full of spunk, Maureen along with friends Alice and Barbara return in this boisterous sequel. The feud between Maureen's group and the trio of "Pretty, Popular, Perfect girls" known as the "ThreePees," begun in Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus (2011), continues unabated. The escalating series of pranks they play on each other attracts the attention of the school administration, and the girls are given an ultimatum: compete as a team in the upcoming Academic Septathalon or be suspended. Suddenly, Maureen is the captain of a team comprised of skirmishing factions and preparing for a rigorous academic competition. However, unexpected alliances form as these archenemies struggle to work together. Their captivating drama culminates during the televised contest. Sitomer gives several returning characters greater depth and invigorates a familiar storyline with intriguing subplots. "Allergy Alice," weary of her mother's overprotectiveness, embarks on a quest to gain independence, with alarming results. Meanwhile, Maureen's long-absent father reappears to repair the family relationship--much to Maureen's consternation. Readers ultimately realize that, regardless of the Septathalon's outcome or family dramas, the Nerd Girls will prevail due to their steadfast, enduring friendship. Truly, as Maureen triumphantly proclaims, "Nerds rule" in this satisfying sequel. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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August 1, 2012

Gr 6-8-When readers left the Nerd Girls in The Rise of the Dorkasaurus (Hyperion, 2011), they had gotten just a smidgen of revenge against the group of mean girls in the school, the ThreePees. Unfortunately, this just added fuel to the ThreePees' fire. After a prank traps the middle schoolers in the art room with flying paint and supplies (thereby destroying school property), both groups are given a choice by the principal: join together to form the school's Academic Septathalon team or face suspension and possibly expulsion. Meanwhile, narrator Maureen has returned to junk food and sarcasm to cope with a personal crisis: her long-gone father has reappeared and wants to be a part of her life. Maureen, Barbara, and Alice work together once again to deal with the ThreePees and study feverishly to try to win the Septathalon. The sarcasm still makes it difficult to form an emotional bond with Maureen, but her personality underneath is showing through just a tad more, and Barbara and Alice also become a little more sympathetic as their home lives come into focus. The televised Septathalon is suspenseful, but the action comes a little too late, and the tension between the two groups seems more forced than realistic. For the most part, the adults and the ThreePees stay one-dimensional, and with the way he's portrayed, one wonders why Maureen would want to know her father at all. This installment is better than the first book, but is still just an additional purchase.-Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

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