All Q, No A

September 1, 2006
Gr 9 Up -Mimi Schulman, first introduced in "The Rise and Fall of a 10th-Grade Social Climber" (Houghton, 2005), is back at New York City -s Baldwin School after spending a week in the Dominican Republic doing charity work with her rich and ritzy friends. She is plagued by typical teen problems: an unrequited crush, divorced parents and their new relationships, and low self-confidence. However, she -s quickly repairing the friendships she strained last semester as well as meeting some new and quirky people. When she gets the chance to go after the first big story for the school newspaper, an article on Baldwin parent and art-world king Serge Ziff, who has made a major donation, she -s determined to prove herself worthy of the assignment. Chasing after Ziff for an interview doesn -t leave much time for her friends, though, and chasing down the elusive truth about his true character proves even more difficult. With the help of friends and their contacts, Mimi writes a revealing article -but then the angry headmaster insists on killing the story. The trials of this middle-class teen in an upper-class world are entertaining and light. The writing style is breezy, but the vocabulary is occasionally complex and may challenge low-level readers. Though there are mentions of hookups and underage drinking, the details are sparse. Instead, friendships and self-worth are the center of attention. This sequel can be read as a stand-alone, but be prepared for requests for the first book." -Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL"

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