The Clique

The Clique
Lisi Harrison
Little, Brown and Company
New York, New York
0-316-70129-7
2004

Summary

When Massie’s father announces that his friend from college Jay Lyons is moving into the guesthouse with his family, Massie is stressed. Not only does Mr. Lyons and his family ruin her Labor Day plans, but he has a daughter her age also. Massie is the leader of a group of girls at Octavian Country Day School in Westchester County, New York. And one thing is for sure: There is no way Massie is going to let newcomer Claire Lyons become a part of her group, especially when Claire shows up in Keds and GAP overalls. Massie makes it her job to make sure that Claire Lyons does not ruin Massie’s standing in the Octavian Day School hierarchy. It doesn’t take Claire long to realize that Massie has no intention of being her friend or even help her find her way at the new school. But it’s not long before Claire finds her inner Massie and does her best to turn the tables. She sneaks into Massie’s room and sabotages Massie’s relationship with her friends and says that Claire is now “cool.”

As with all deceptions, Claire’s secret is revealed and if she thought she was unpopular before, she had no clue what that word had meant before. But as with most young adult books, Claire realizes that there is more to life than being “popular” and does find her own way. Massie realizes that some people do have feelings, and that they are human. Since this is the first book in a series, this will not be the first time Claire has to learn this lesson, and Massie will have to learn how to be nicer too.

Impressions

The Clique is the first novel in a series revolving around a group of girls at the Octavian Country Day School in Westchester County, New York. The leader of the clique is a girl named Massie Block who is a spoiled only child. The recommended age of the series is fifth grade to eighth grade, and it fits the age range. Older teens will roll their eyes at how petty Massie is and how easily swayed her friends are. The book is a fun read and the young adults will love the other books in the series. While there is not a "reedeeming value" in the books besides it being a fun read, it could lead to good discussions about Cliques and why they aren't good. It did make me remember my junior high years and I laughed at how ridiculous my frienda and I were.

Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8–Claire Lyons moves with her parents from Florida to wealthy Westchester County, NY. Until they can get settled, the family stays in the guest house of Mr. Lyons's college buddy, who happens to have a daughter who is also in seventh grade. Expected to welcome her, Massie instead chooses to make Claire's life miserable for no other reason than she's the new girl. Massie enlists her clique of friends at Octavian Country Day School, all part of the beautiful and popular crowd, to help with the harassment, which ranges from catty comments on Claire's clothes to spilling red paint on her white jeans in a conspicuous spot. Tired of it all, Claire tries to fight back, but then the abuse worsens. The book has trendy references kids will love, including Starbucks in the school, designer clothes, and PalmPilots for list making. However, this trendiness doesn't make up for the shallowness of the characters or the one-dimensional plot. Nor is the cruelty of the clique redeemed with any sort of a satisfying ending. The conclusion leaves one with the feeling that a sequel is in the works. Amy Goldman Koss's The Girls (Dial, 2000) shows the same cruelty of girls with a more realistic story and resolution.–Diana Pierce, Running Brushy Middle School, Cedar Park, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Head-to-toe Calvin Klein is in. So is Ralph Lauren. Burberry is so out. And as for Claire's platform navy Keds and two-year-old, white Gap jeans--doesn't she know that clothes are like milk or cheese with a "best-before date" and a limited shelf life? Claire is clueless when she enters seventh grade, a newcomer and total outsider when it comes to [...] Massie's friends at an exclusive private girls' school. Massie leads her clique in humiliating [Claire] (including splashing those jeans with red paint to make it look like Claire has her period), and the instant messaging is very mean. It's also hilarious, especially because the viewpoints switch between the two [girls] and Claire gets her revenge--sort of. There's too much detail about how the superwealthy live, but Harrison, who writes for MTV, knows peer pressure, and her first novel has fun with the tyranny of brand names ("she was wearing . . ." is a constant). Buy this quickly, though, because the very specifics that teens will recognize will be "so out" before the year is over. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.