Thank you for visiting.
This content is exclusive to subscribers only.
As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Clark, Catherine
6 Reviews
(4)
4-6
After saving a presidential candidate from getting bonked on the head by a sign, middle-school student Aidan becomes an overnight hero and is asked to join the campaign trail. Before long, Aidan realizes that celebrity is not what he expected. This story provides a sanitized glimpse into a simplified political world where kids can learn a little about the political machine.
Reviewer: Juliet S. King
(4)
4-6
Seventh-grader Madison and her two best friends are bullied by former pals. After a suggestion from her peculiar hairstylist, Madison and company burn their ex-friends' names in a ceremony that turns them into the mean girls. Madison's narration has funny moments, but many plot elements, including the magic aspect and the reason for the bullies' meanness, are never fully explained.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
(3)
YA
Ariel, her sister, their mother, uncle, and grandparents go on a summer bus tour. Ariel's not thrilled to be on a barely functioning bus filled with geriatrics as they visit the Corn Palace, Wall Drug, and a giant ball of yarn, but the tedious journey gives her time to work on family issues. Funny encounters lighten the mood of Ariel's soul-searching voyage.
Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor
(4)
YA
By following rules such as "never...talk about it," Alison numbs herself to an unnamed tragedy and, consequently, her sophomore year. The nature of the tragedy and the bulk of her rules are revealed quite late, making it difficult to relate to and sympathize with Alison until the novel's final pages, but the story is moving nevertheless.
Reviewer: Lauren Maggio
(4)
YA
Sixteen-year-old Fleming, a "coffee wench" at Gas 'n Git, experiences some small-town summertime angst. Wacky characters and over-the-top happenings (she thwarts a robbery and has an in-line skating accident while racing to meet her about-to-give-birth mom at the hospital) keep things interesting but ultimately don't contain enough substance. Not as funny as Joan Bauer's novels, nor as satisfying, but there's still plenty of laughs.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander
(3)
YA
Courtney, the sometimes-lapsed vegan from Truth or Dairy, goes into culture shock when she gets to college in Wisconsin, the land of bratwurst and milk. Her diary describes dorm life, her troubled long-distance relationship, and her protest to get the school initials changed from CFC, the abbreviation for "chlorofluorocarbon." The combination of honest self-examination and naiveté is amusing.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
6 reviews
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.