Nice and Mean

I have stared into the minds of tween girls and have lived to tell about it!  

THREE PROS

*The two main characters are developed to perfection and the pacing of their worlds colliding is spot on as well 

*The introductions in Chapters 19 and 21 were an interesting way of subtly demonstrating the above point -- not to mention that the style author Jessica Leader uses to kick off each chapter in the book is unique and provides some of the best insight into that middle school brain
*How can you top the line: "I thought Video would be woo.  Instead it was poo."

THREE CONS 

*The academic pressure children in New York City face to get into certain schools might not make total sense to kids in America who only have one or two options at each grade level

*Not sure today's kids would get a few of the cultural references (such as "whirring like a D drive" or situations from the show Friends)

*As a marketing major, I get what publisher Aladdin Mix is trying to do with the back pages/cover, but I think more attention should be paid to selling the book in your hand than the seven other titles they sneak back there

ONE DAD'S OPINION
As one of the early followers of my blog, I have a soft spot for Jessica Leader.  I'll admit it.  So when I heard her book was coming out this month, I had to find a copy and review it. And it was well worth it; this is the type of book that I think any middle school girl can relate to.  [You know what -- let's not limit it to girls.  If you are a 12-year old boy and want the inside scoop on what those girls in your math class are really thinking, consider this the opponent's playbook!]  I really liked the way Marina and Sachi's internal voices were notably different from one another and how the back-and-forth viewpoints moved the story along while still giving varied perspective on the same moments in time.  I hope Ms. Leader is OK with me stealing her phrase, but this book is "Hot, Hot, Hot!"

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