About this title: The first installment of Harrison's juicy series, this book introduces a group of girls who are navigating the social minefields of eighth grade at New York's Westchester County's most exclusive private school.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Book Club Edition. Special Scholastic Edition
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, New York, NY
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780316155779ISBN:0316155772
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Clean text, no corner folds. No spine creases. Cover minimal wear. Ship daily (carefully wrapped + free domestic dc). 220 p. read more
"Last night, I finished reading Lisi Harrison's The Clique, a book which portrays a world of privileged adolescescing girls, and their struggle to maintain their 'friendships'--a term I hesitate to use--amid various disruptions. The titular clique is formed of four girls who are bound, perhaps, less by amicable sentiments toward one another, and more by an uneasy truce of shared power over their peers, and, of course, an insatiable desire for à la mode luxury clothing.
The clique is ruled by Massie Block, from whom the clique takes its every cue, be it the adoption of a new style, or the consideration of a new friend. Each jockeys for position within the group by revealing information--told in confidence--about various acquaintances, for which the reward, 'gossip points', are given (in what seemed to me a very ad hoc fashion).
Into this exclusive sphere of ostensibly friendly rivalries, comes the hopelessly unstylish--due to her relative indigence--Claire Lyons, the daughter of Massie's father's best friend. Claire's family, through the largesse of Massie's father, have been invited to stay in the guest house on the grounds of the Block family's estate. Immediately, Massie and Claire--now bound by hateful proximity--strike up an inimical relationship, made worse by well-meaning parents.
Now, given this milieu, one would expect that the trajectory of this novel would be quite easy to predict. One might expect that the obvious heroine, the unfashionable yet lovable Claire, would survive the snubs and meanness which the clique directs at her, and yet somehow, through some sort of inherent peasant kindliness, would rise up through the social hierarchy and usurp Massie's throne. Not so. Surprisingly, the sparring between the two parties ends more often than not in a draw. Indeed, the portrayal of Massie in particular transcends the merely stereotypical, giving a her a truly vulnerable and human character.
All this being said, can I recommend this novel to others? No, I cannot."
"The minute I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a matter of days and have been reading the series ever since. I think that this book would be great for any pre-teen/teen girl that needs a good book. It keeps you hooked and for me it never got boring. Lisi Harrison is an amazing author and she's even helped Mtv! This book taught me that no the what obstacles come your way in life, if you work around them and fight through them, in the end you'll get what you want. One of the main characters Claire moves to a new town called Westchester all the way from Florida and is faced with "the pretty committee." When she moves there she is forced to move in to Massie Blocks guest house and she doess everything she possibly can to fit in with her and her friends Alicia, Kristen, and Dylan. All Claire wants is to fit in but Massie (the leader of the pretty committee.) makes that almost entirely impossible but Claire doesn't give up and she finally fits in with Massie. The other girls don't approve of her but Massie knows Claire fits in. That's what it taught me and it's an amazing book! So next time you need a book to read pick up the clique series by Lisi Harrison!
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