Too Cool for This School

June 24, 2013
Lane Cisco works hard to be popular and, as a result, her life is pretty perfect. She has three amazing best friends and a “secret boyfriend” (they’ve held hands and texted, but aren’t “official” yet). Best of all, Lane has just been chosen to be sixth-grade class captain, a pinnacle of popularity. These successes are thrown into flux when her Alaskan cousin Angelina (nicknamed Mint) comes to stay for a month. Independent-minded Mint couldn’t care less about fitting in, and she ignores “girl code,” quickly befriending Lane’s secret boyfriend, Todd, and moving in on a boy that Lane’s friend Ava has a crush on. As Mint gains notoriety, Ava begins a quest to crush Mint, and Lane is torn between protecting Mint and being infuriated by her cousin’s behavior. Tracy (Bessica Lefter Bites Back) gives Lane a believable and drily funny voice in this story about loyalty and the complexities of friendship and family. Though the plot is somewhat slow to build, the humorous moments and ethical quandaries make it an empathetic and entertaining read. Ages 10–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

June 1, 2013
It's not easy being cool. Especially in the sixth grade. Lane Cisco is pretty sure grade six is going to be a smooth ride. She has the right clothes, the right friends and the right secret boyfriend. She's even chosen to be a class officer, which means pizza meetings and planning all the dances. Life is pretty great until her parents announce an extended visit from her cousin, Mint, who lives in Alaska. Mint turns out to be the kind of girl who revels in the unconventional, and Lane and her friends quickly realize that Mint is less an embarrassment and more of a threat. Tracy delivers a compelling read about problems many early-adolescent readers will find familiar. Lane and her friends are believable and recognizable, if a little interchangeable, and their dialogue among themselves rings true. The adults in the novel are less lucky; teachers are either absent or stiff, and Lane's parents display a curious lack of empathy when they require Lane to share her life with a girl who's essentially a stranger. Nevertheless, their emotions will ring true with readers, no matter how far in the past middle school lies. High drama so compelling middle school readers won't realize they're being exposed to a lesson in ethics. (Fiction. 10-13)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 5-7-Sixth-grader Lane Cisco's life near the top of the middle school hierarchy is just about perfect. She nailed her interview to be a class leader, and now she just wishes that her "secret" boyfriend would be a little more official. Then her cousin arrives for an extended visit from Alaska. Mint dresses wrong, talks wrong, and thinks wrong. Lane is sure she'll be branded a loser and hopes she doesn't bring her down with her. Lane's world is turned upside down when Mint isn't shunned. Instead, her classmates think she's cool-even the boys Lane and her BFF, Ava, are crushing on. When Ava concocts a plan to ruin Mint, Lane's loyalties are torn. The protagonist is a rather unreliable, unsympathetic narrator who doesn't gain much insight as the plot progresses, and she seems to have an inordinate amount of unsupervised time at school. Certain plot contrivances are oddly jarring, such as the abruptness of Mint's visit, Lane's parents' reluctance to tell her of the visit beforehand, and their decision to lie to the school district and share that lie with a 12-year-old, among others. Still, the author has a real sense of tween dialogue, relationship dynamics, and preoccupations. Readers will recognize the Lanes in their lives and root for Mint in this gentle story of friendship and individuality.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
Lane is excited for sixth grade. She's class captain, has great friends, and even has a secret boyfriend. Then her cousin Mint pays an extended visit and throws a wrench in things. Instead of being the outcast Lane assumes she will be, Mint instantly makes friends...and enemies. While the dialogue and dramas ring true, easy solutions detract from the story.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)