Book Review: The Clique (The Clique, #1)

Title: The Clique (The Clique, #1)
Author: Lisi Harrison
Publisher: Little, Brown (Hachette Group USA), 2004
Page total: 224 pages
Date read: May 11th, 2010

"Massie, wipe that confused look off your face," Massie’s mom, Kendra, said. "It’s really very simple - you’re not going."

Massie, Alicia, Dylan and Kristen - they’re the members of The Pretty Committee at OCD. That basically says everything about them: They love to shop, dress themselves fashionably, love to gossip and make sure that everybody looks up at them and that nobody comes between them.

Meet Claire Lyons, the new girl from Orlando, Florida, who just happens to be forced to live with the Clique’s leader, Massie, until they can find a place for themselves. Claire knows better than becoming BFFs with rich, snobby girls who hate her anyway. Too bad she can’t help but be fascinated by them. Plus, being a member of TPC would guarantee her a safe and nice school life.
But is The Pretty Committee willing to let her in?

When I first heard about this book, I thought it is about some silly, shallow girls obsessing over their clothes, backstabbing their friends, trying to be cool blah blah blah. And in a way, it is. I know that some people think it’s a waste of time to read a book you can learn nothing from, but that’s not what I think. At first I was irritated as well and thought why would someone write a book about young teens that are so shallow I can’t help but shake my head? After having read the book a few times, I think there are two main purposes:

1. To entertain people. It reminds me of middle school drama - how life was when I was in the seventh grade. I’m certainly not that older than that (tenth grade) but there is definitely a huge difference between seventh and tenth grade. (Those of you who are still at High School will understand me - those who left HS long ago probably wouldn’t have forgotten that, I guess.) How you look and appear to people seemed very important at that time. So this series reminds me of time when I didn’t worry about my future, didn’t spend my time thinking about how school sucks. Not that I was like Massie and her friends - I’m neither rich nor shallow. (I know, everybody could say that. But if I were really like Massie and her friends, I wouldn’t even read a book in a year and if I were really shallow, I wouldn’t take the time to defend myself logically.)

2. This series is a big satire. Maybe the author wants to tell young readers that they shouldn’t spend their time like the girls featured in this book. That designer clothes, gossip and boys aren’t everything in the world.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, which is why I gave it 4 Kisses!