Common Sense Media Review
Different is OK -- a great message for tweens.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Charlotte, who lives with her widower father, starts the seventh grade in a new school in Brookline, Mass. When she's assigned to sit at the lunch table with Katani, Maeve, and Avery, she quickly forms stereotypical opinions of them. Charlotte's awkwardness with them brings disaster until a writing assignment and a sleepover start to turn the worst of enemies into best friends.
A tower room at Charlotte's house becomes the girls' secret clubhouse. When Charlotte's father discovers them, Katani's grandmother is the one who does the explaining.
Is It Any Good?
The success of this story is in the character development -- these girls are quirky and fun to get to know -- more than the plotline, though it's very readable. But at times the girls are too good to be true, clearly without socioeconomic pressures and time-consuming responsibilities at home.
Though they have their moments of cattiness, the girls also have the maturity to respect and understand one another's challenges, most likely because they have meaningful adults providing models of responsive listening, caring, and activism. Parents can offer this book to tweens knowing that they'll learn more about living cooperatively and respectfully with others.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the girls' varied backgrounds/interests and how they learn from one another. What does each girl bring to the club that's unique, and what is the common thread pulling them together? Parents can also point out how these girls don't have any socioeconomic stressors (no one has an after-school job or parents with financial hardships). What additional challenges do you think the girls would face in those circumstances?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : B*tween Producions, Inc.
- Publication date : January 18, 2007
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 232
- Last updated : July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate