(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. With Erin Russell and Nikki Russell. In this twelfth installment, Nikki's recently ramped-up crush on her best friend Brandon is complicated by a super-cute exchange student and the middle-school rumor mill. Series fans will forgive the fluffy, overstuffed plot to revel in the sitcom-like humor with some choice one-liners; a text filled with smiley faces and exclamations in Nikki's familiar handwriting; and anime-style illustrations with occasional speech bubbles.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Misadventures of Max Crumbly series. With Nikki Russell. Immediately following his first journal-style book (Locker Hero), middle-school geek Max recounts his attempts to stop a trio of dopey burglars from stealing the school's computers. Meanwhile, Max's crush, Erin, remotely hacks the building's security system to provide assistance. Despite the book's repetitive, over-the-top Home Alone–type clashes with the robbers, tween readers will enjoy this wacky school adventure, decorated with manga-style drawings.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Misadventures of Max Crumbly series. With Nikki Russell and Erin Russell. Eighth-grade geek Max records his attempts to navigate a new school, a first crush, and brutish bully Doug, who traps Max in his locker over the long weekend. When he escapes, Max stumbles upon a robbery in the school computer lab. Many tweens will enjoy the over-the-top, sitcom-style drama; the Dork Diaries author employs similar handwriting-like font and manga-style drawings in this new series.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. With Nikki Russell and Erin Russell. As the result of a weeklong student exchange program, eighth grader Nikki Maxwell winds up at the same school as her archenemy Mackenzie. But this time, the girls team up to take down an even meaner queen bee. This eleventh installment rushes through its drama-filled plot, though a subplot centering on Nikki's sister working toward a cooking badge in Scouts earns a few laughs.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. With Nikki Russell and Erin Russell. Mean girl Mackenzie has left the school, but she's still tormenting Nikki by flirting with Brandon (Nikki's crush) and lying to her new friends about Nikki. Meanwhile, Nikki attempts to covertly care for eight dogs until the shelter has space for them. The handwritten-style font, copious illustrations, simple story, slang-heavy text, and static characters make this another repetitive installment, but series fans won't mind.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. In this ninth installment, spoiled queen bee Mackenzie steals Nikki's diary and takes over writing it, detailing the many ways Nikki has humiliated her. Mackenzie hacks into Nikki's school advice column, interferes with Nikki's crush on Brandon, and reveals that her own life isn't as perfect as it seems. The change to Mackenzie's point of view may interest followers of the simplistic series.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. With Nikki Russell and Erin Russell. Nikki's band is taking off, and she's getting her own reality show, but mean girl MacKenzie has evil plans (Glam). When MacKenzie hits Nikki in the face with a ball, Nikki wakes up in an enchanted land where she encounters familiar faces as fairy-tale characters (Happily). Copious twee illustrations and large handwriting-style font make both slight, tween-speak-heavy (OMG!) stories fly by. Review covers these Dork Diaries titles: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star and Tales from a Not-So-Happily Ever After.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. REVIEW MISSING

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. The sixth book in the series offers more of the same: Nikki is still crushing on Brandon and hating Mackenzie, her nemesis who also has a crush on Brandon. Miscommunication creates drama leading up to the Sweetheart Dance. Filled with "squee!", "OMG!", large font, and lots of twee illustrations, this story of eighth grader Nikki will likely appeal to a tween audience.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. Nikki prepares to ice skate in a charity show while nemesis MacKenzie does her best to sabotage her (Ice Princess). In Know-It-All, Nikki joins the school paper to spend time with her crush and ends up writing a successful advice column. Handwriting-like font, cartoon-style illustrations, and childish girly drama make these books appealing to readers much younger than the fourteen-year-old protagonist. Review covers these Dork Diaries titles: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess and Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. Nikki prepares to ice skate in a charity show while nemesis MacKenzie does her best to sabotage her (Ice Princess). In Know-It-All, Nikki joins the school paper to spend time with her crush and ends up writing a successful advice column. Handwriting-like font, cartoon-style illustrations, and childish girly drama make these books appealing to readers much younger than the fourteen-year-old protagonist. Review covers these Dork Diaries titles: Tales from a Not-So-Graceful Ice Princess and Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. In her third story, Nikki chronicles the fallout from an embarrassing video of her singing, posted on the internet by nemesis MacKenzie. Determined to win the school talent show, Nikki must also deal with fickle friends, a crush, and her secret status of scholarship student. Anime-style illustrations accompany the text, which overflows with exclamation points, OMGs, and much squeeing.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. In her second book, self-professed dork Nikki Maxwell must save her middle school's Halloween dance after mean-girl MacKenzie tries to sabotage the party and stick Nikki with the blame. Nikki's social fiascoes--while not the most original or logical--are funny and fast paced. As in the first book, her diary entries are full of exclamation points, smiley faces, and smart illustrations.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey

(4) 4-6 Dork Diaries series. Self-professed dork Nikki Maxwell chronicles her life as the new girl at Westchester Country Day School. Most of Nikki's diary entries focus on her embarrassing family trials and run-ins with exaggeratedly mean queen bee MacKenzie. The writing delivers fluffy sitcom-style humor for tweens. Font that resembles handwriting, humorous manga-like doodles, and comic sketches add authenticity to the format.

Reviewer: Marika Jeffrey