From School Library Journal Grade 5-8–Mikey Elsinger and Margalo Epps are back in this fifth book in the series. Improbable best friends since fifth grade, the girls are now in ninth grade. Margalo has more than $200 stolen from her and tries to find the thieves. Mikey is thrown off the tennis team because she refuses to follow the advice of her coach and cheat on line calls. The girls both come up with a scheme to get rid of the bullies who are tormenting their dorky friend Hadrian and help a friend whose boyfriend is threatening to ruin her reputation if she doesn't have sex with him. Most teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators are no help at all; in fact, they add to the problems. Much of the book centers on the girls' table in the cafeteria, where the jockeying for position, one-upmanship, self-involvement, and shallowness are so obnoxious that it is as difficult to care about these kids as it is to keep the flat minor characters straight. Unfamiliar details, particularly about the girls' families, make this book difficult to read on its own. Clearly not up to the standards of some of the author's award-winning novels, this latest installment should be purchased only for hardcore fans of the series.
