Best friends (Untill I find someone better) by Erin Downing

I love a good anti heroine or at least morally questionable mean girl. At summer vacation, Izzy lets down her queen bee meanness but can she do the same when she gets back at school and her losery friends end up following? Well you can figure out how it goes, but I enjoy Izzy’s snarky point of view.

Trauma Queen by Barbara Dee

This was such an interesting premise as Marigold is a girl who is embarassed by her mother. More so than other embarassed daughters as her mother is a performing artists whose pieces often leave others giggling. She desperately wants to seperate herself from that. It’s a great piece on mother daughter relationships that I’m sure you’ll laugh and cringe with her.

Plastic Polly by Jenny Ludquist

This is a book for all those Mean Girls Karen fans. Not that Polly is dumb. She just tends to be more passive, but when her bff and mean girl extraordinaire (not that Polly realizes it) puts her in charge of dance committee, she finds herself having to lead. Having to make decisions. And finding out the nickname everyone has dubbed her. It’s time for her to step up and decide if she wants to be Plastic Polly for the rest of her middle school life.

Front Page Face Off by Jo Whitmore

I love the newspaper reporter angle here as Delilah seeks to cement her place as head honcho in journalism. However, her usual professional demenour is ruffled when her best boy friend seems to have a crush on the new foreign exchange student, just as she starts realizing her own crush on him. It also has a great underlying thread about an arsonists, a snooty school clique the Debs vying for her to keep good press on them and former school bullies. Very compelling read.

Rules for Secret Keeping by Lauren Barnholdt

Another unique premise following a young entepreneur who makes her business trading notes for people. No, Samantha Carmichael does not use it for malicious blackmail purposes. She takes her business very seriously. However, when a rival tries to edge on her turf and ruin her reputation, well then watch out. Not to mention a little secret admirer thread. Compelling for at least one read.