Bad Girls in Love

From Publishers Weekly In Bad Girls in Love, the latest entry in her Bad Girls series, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt revisits the world of junior high, here exploring the experience of falling in love for the first time. Mikey has a major crush on Shawn, and Margalo has the hots for her teacher and with the school dance fast approaching, they are running out of time to figure out what to do about their situations. Ages 9-13.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 5-8 Mikey and Margalo are now 14, and stumbling awkwardly into the teenage world of couplehood. As in the previous books, the best friends are not accepted by the popular crowd in school. The other eighth graders are heavily into the social scene, but, while Mikey and Margalo are curious, they are never included in party invitations and seem to have no interest in boys. Then Mikey sees Shawn Macavity, who has suddenly become the epitome of cool, and she falls head over heels into her first crush. She lacks sense and sensitivity as she pursues the uninterested Shawn relentlessly and foolishly. Margalo, meanwhile, has a crush as well. She has fallen for a teacher, but never confides in Mikey, and never seems to interact with him at all. In fact, teachers and parents rarely appear and seem to have little or no impact on these characters' lives. Even when her divorced mother announces her marriage to her much older and rich boyfriend and doesn't invite her to the wedding, Mikey's focus remains on Shawn. While the girls' repartee is entertaining at times, and some readers may enjoy the glimpses into junior high life, this story is full of loose ends, flat characters, and casual references to hot topics from sex, drinking, and drugs to affirmative action, with no follow through. It's all shallow and unsatisfying, so purchase it only if you have major "Bad Girls" fans in your library. -Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.