Spin the Bottle

June 1, 2008
Gr 5-7-Phoebe is excited to be starting seventh grade. The aspiring actress is finally able to join Drama Club, a day she has been preparing for since elementary school. No more class plays but genuine productions with auditions. Then she discovers how much drama she has to endure before rehearsals start: mean divas, a crush, digestive malfunctions, and a rift between her and a friend. Despite all this, Phoebe perseveres and is disappointed to find herself cast in the Mission Choir in "Guys and Dolls". Things only get worse when she finds out that everyone in the cast is expected to play spin the bottle. Phoebe's voice is funny and intelligent. She deals with teenage angst with flair and humor as she learns that staying true to yourself is more important than being popular."Angela M. Boccuzzi-Reichert, Merton Williams Middle School, Hilton, NY"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2008
Starting middle school is scary, but Phoebe does have her longtime best friend, Harper, to help brave the jungle warfare. Things look up when Phoebe lands a part in the drama club musical (she has only two lines, but she takes them very seriously), and dreamy Tuckerseems to like her, even after she throws up at the audition. Wise Harper is too much therapist-mentor, so it adds to the story when the friends quarrel and separate. With wry comedy, Phoebes first-person narrative shows the school hierarchy, and adults who just dont get it. At the core is the drama club drama, especially the rising excitement of putting on a play as first dress rehearsal and then opening night drawing near. In the triumphant climax, the friends make up, and Phoebe surprises herself by standing up to the shallow prima donnas who think they run the show.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Self-conscious worrywart Phoebe is nervous about starting middle school but excited to join the drama club. She feigns confidence but is starstruck by the older girls, anxious about playing opening-night spin the bottle, and infatuated with a cute boy. Though her best friend, Harper, sounds too mature to be believable, Phoebe's voice and her bumbling navigation of seventh grade are age-appropriate.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)