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February 20, 2007
Jungle Rumble is a blog that is for and about HHS’s Library Media Center. Within the blog you’ll find the latest info on the library, reviews and links. Feel free to post your own reviews and thoughts!
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February 26th, 2007 at 1:08 am
The Pretty Committee Strikes Back Little, Brown and Company, 2006, 265 pp., $9.99
Lisi Harrison How would you like to be included in a clique that everyone worships and loves? A clique which is consisted of five members, who are each looked upon, envied, and admired for their social status. Meet the members of the Clique: Massie Block, Kristen Gregory, Dylan Marvil, Alicia Rivera, and Claire Lyons, each obsessing over the latest fashions and the cutest boys. They even have their own name, as they are referred to as The Pretty Committee. Massie Block, the head of The Pretty Committee, controls the clique and sees to it that no one else will ever rule above her. She is the highest and most popular girl at Octavian Country Day School, the school she attends. The entire seventh grade drools over Massie and her clique, longing to be a part of it. “The Clique…the only thing harder than getting in is staying is.”
In The Pretty Committee Strikes Back, a Clique novel by Lisi Harrison, Massie and her clique head off to Lake Placid for their seventh grade field trip. Kristen is unable to attend the trip because her family cannot afford the $1500 cost for the trip. Dylan’s mother, Merri-Lee Marvil, accompanies them as she flirts with their geography teacher, Mr. Myner. Massie creates her own secret kissing clinic, called MUCK (Massie‘s Underground Clinic for Kissing.) Secretly, however, Massie has no experience with boys whatsoever, so she reads books and asks Claire to give her some pointers to tell the girls. Massie is only concerned about two things: her staying on top of the school to make sure her popularity doesn‘t decrease again, and kissing Derrington for real this time. As the girls learn to cope with challenges without their electronic devices and latest fashions, they also face the hardships of their crushes being angry with them.
Throughout the trip to Lake Placid, the girls are all faced with obstacles and challenges on how to survive in the wilderness. With little to eat, no extra necessities, and a strict teacher, the girls’ only worries are to kiss their crushes. Derrington, Massie’s crush, gets upset with her throughout the book when he suspects she has been kissing other people. Cam, Claire’s crush, finally ends up talking to her again when Massie devises a spectacular plan and wins him back for Claire. Kristen unexpectedly shows up at the campsite one day, where Massie discovers her hidden behind a bush. The ability of the girls in this young adult novel to cope without their everyday necessities illustrates how people of “lower” classes have to live every day. Some people in our modern world are not as fortunate as the girls in The Clique series. In addition, I think that many girls our age can relate to the girls here, because our schools are filled with drama, chaos, fashion, boys, and obsessions. It portrays a typical teenage drama life, with stuck-up snobs, rich girls, and expensive products beyond galore.
In Lisi Harrison’s Clique novels, I love how they are written. As I read each book, I always find myself constantly flipping through the pages. Her books are so interesting and filled with drama, and those are the kinds of books I love to read most. These books give a sense of reality mixed in with a lot of drama, as girls in everyday life go through what the Clique girls go through. We are all faced with difficult decisions, heartbreaking times, and mega crises. As Lisi Harrison continued her story of the Clique girls, I found that the books only got more interesting. I am very meticulous when it comes to books, and I constantly need to be entertained. I often find it hard to sit still and read for long, consecutive hours, but that all changed once I started reading the Clique series. For example, I can read Harrison’s books for hours without ever getting sick of them. The plot, the environment she puts me in, and the comparison to my high school life is all too overwhelming. If you would like to read excellent books filled with countless amounts of drama, enthusiasm, energy, and action, then the Clique series is the right series for you.
I highly recommend these books to teenage girls who care a lot about fashion. This series is filled with all of the hottest and latest designer brands, such as Dior, Chanel, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Coach, and Louis Vouitton. I guarantee you will enjoy the exciting adventures of The Pretty Committee as they endure new destinations and score more gossip points. On another note, if you enjoy hearing about gossip and the latest news on the cutest boys, these books are sure to be pleasing to you. Lisi Harrison has a very detailed way of writing, which makes the books even more enjoyable to read. I really enjoy how she relates the plots and stories to an average teenager’s life. In conclusion, if you are looking for a book that you want to stay focused and interested in, then the Clique series will have you constantly flipping pages and laughing out loud.