The Clique (Clique Series #1)

The Clique\ \ By Lisi Harrison \ Little, Brown\ Copyright © 2004 17th Street Productions, an Alloy company\ All right reserved. \ ISBN: 0-316-70129-7 \ \ \ Chapter One\ THE BEOCK ESTATE THE KITCHEN 10:49 P.M. August 31st \ "Massie, wipe that confused look off your face," Massie's mom, Kendra, said. "It's really very simple-you're not going."\ Massie Block flicked the tiny bell that dangled from her gold charm bracelet over and over again. The hollow pings were the only sounds she could make, unless of course she wanted to be accused of "interrupting" by her annoyingly polite mother, which she didn't. She just wanted to win the argument they were having.\ "But I have plans and it would be rude if I broke them," Massie said. "Right? I mean, haven't you always told me to 'honor my engagements'?" She made air quotes just to remind her mother that the rule was hers in the first place.\ Massie looked to her father, William, for backup, but he just sipped his tea and continued reading the latest copy of Westchester magazine.\ "I told you about this weeks ago," Kendra said. She spoke very slowly and enunciated every word, in much the same way she talked to Inez, their live-in housekeeper. "Your father has been good friends with Mr. Lyons since college. They are moving to Westchester all the way from Florida so that Mr. Lyons can work for him. And while they are looking for a home of their own, they will be living in our guesthouse. And as our daughter it is important that you're here to greet them when they arrive."\ "Why?" Massie narrowed her eyes. "They're Dad's freeloading friends, not mine."\ Kendra shot her husband a desperate look across the table. William stayed focused on the magazine.\ "Well, they'll be your friends soon enough." Kendra said. "Claire is starting the seventh grade on Tuesday too, so you should have plenty to talk about."\ "What? Like math?" Massie snapped.\ "You can always invite her to join in on your plans," Kendra suggested. "Then you won't miss out on anything."\ "Impossible." Massie shook her head. "We've had these appointments for weeks. We can't just call up the spa and add another person at the last minute." Massie looked away. "Not that we'd want to," she said under her breath.\ "Then it's settled," Kendra said. "Inez will have brunch on the dining room table tomorrow at 1:15 RM. Don't be late."\ Massie turned and stomped out of the kitchen. Her black pug, Bean, scurried across the floor, trying to keep up without getting too close to Massie's deadly three-inch mules. When they got to the staircase, Massie leaned down and scooped up the puppy with one hand.\ Normally she took her heels off before climbing the steps because of the "delicate high-gloss finish on the wood." But considering the circumstances, she chose to leave them on. Every floor-scuffing step would pay her mother back for destroying the Labor Day plans she had with her three best friends.\ When she got to the second floor, Massie kicked off her shoes and padded across the plush carpet straight into her bedroom. And slammed the door behind her.\ "Don't slam!" came Kendra's voice over the intercom. Massie looked at the white speaker by the bed and rolled her eyes.\ Everything in her room was white: the leather chaise by the bay window, the sheepskin rug, the painted brick walls, the dozen fresh tulips, and her flat-screen Mac. Her friends called it the iPad. She'd designed it that way after she stayed in the presidential suite at the Mondrian in Los Angeles. The only color in the enormous hotel room had come from the decorative green apple in the middle of the white marble coffee table. She loved how crisp and orderly everything looked.\ But just the other day she'd read in a British gossip magazine that purple was the official color of royalty, which explained the brand new mauve Calvin sheets on her bed. She'd been hoping to buy more in the "queen's color" during her Labor Day shopping spree, but that was no longer an option.\ Massie lifted her dog in the air so their eyes could meet. "Bean, tell me this isn't happening."\ Bean blinked.\ "Missing out on tomorrow could stunt my social growth for the rest of the year," Massie said.\ Bean licked Massie's thin wrist. She loved the taste of Chanel No. 19.\ "Everyone will have a fresh batch of inside jokes I won't even get. I'll have to smile like a good sport while everyone laughs and says, 'Oh, you just had to be there."' Massie shook her head vigorously as if her mind was an Etch A Sketch that could erase thoughts she didn't like.\ "And you know Dylan will buy the YSL lip markers I put a 'yes' sticker on in Lucky," she said. "And you wanna know why this is happening?" Massie continued. She didn't wait for Bean's reaction. "So I can meet some girl from Orlando who's going to be living here for a year. I mean, what's the urgency? She's not going anywhere." Massie paused and searched her brain for a reasonable explanation. "Unless of course she has a life-threatening illness."\ Bean yelped.\ "And if she does ..." Massie let out a heavy sigh. "Why should I get attached?"\ Massie ripped up the itinerary she made for her friends that detailed everything she had planned for their day of beauty. She stood above her trash can and let the scraps of paper fall through her fingers like snowflakes. She could see that words like spray tan, eyebrow wax, aroma (therapy had been torn away), and Bergdorf's were still intact.\ Massie collapsed on her bed and stretched her arm toward her night table. She grabbed her cell and hit "1" on her speed dial. The girl on the other end picked up after the first ring.\ "Heyyy," Alicia said\ "Hold on, I'll get Dylan," Massie said.\ "'Kay."\ Massie punched in "2" and pressed Send.\ "Dyl?"\ "Yeah."\ "Hold on, I'll get Kristen."\ Massie pressed "3."\ "Hey, Mass," Kristen said.\ "Hey, Alicia and Dylan are here too," Massie said.\ "What's up?" Kristen asked. She sounded nervous, like she was about to get blamed for something she didn't do.\ "I can't go with you guys tomorrow," Massie blurted.\ "Yeah, right." Dylan snorted.\ "No, I'm serious. You're not going to believe this, but I have to-" Massie paused and reconsidered her next words. "I have the flu." Which came out sounding like, "I hab da flu."\ "Gawd, you sound awful," Kristen said.\ "Yeah, maybe we shouldn't go," Dylan offered. "We can come over and take care of you instead."\ "What? Not go?" Alicia snapped. "I mean, Massie, what exactly is wrong with you? Maybe we can help."\ "Feber. Headache. Stuffed up doze, you doh, duh usual." Massie added a sniff and an "uuugggghhh" for effect.\ "Dylan's right. We'll bail," Kristen said. "It won't be the same without you. Who's going to squeeze my hand when I get my eyebrows waxed?"\ "And who's going to tell me if I look fat when I try stuff on?" Dylan asked.\ "The mirror," Alicia said.\ Kristen let out her famous raspy, phlegm-filled cackle.\ "Massie, please don't leave me alone with them," Dylan joked.\ Massie smiled with relief. They wanted her with them. They needed her with them. And that, as always, was all that mattered. But she also knew how quickly they could change their minds.\ "You all go. But I want to hear every detail of what happened." Massie momentarily forgot her sick voice. "Every single one."\ (Continues...)\ \ \ \ \ Excerpted from The Clique by Lisi Harrison Copyright © 2004 by 17th Street Productions, an Alloy company. Excerpted by permission.\ All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.\ Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. \ \

\ Publishers WeeklyMiddle schoolers who have participated in the "popularity game" may be drawn to this series opener by a first-time author, which takes cliquish, snobbish behavior to Hollywood extremes. Massie Block, whom readers will love to hate, is rich, conniving and the uncontested leader of the "A-list" group of seventh graders at an exclusive private girls' school in New York's affluent Westchester County. When Mr. Block's unemployed college friend moves his family into the Blocks' guest house, Mrs. Block pushes Massie to befriend their daughter, Claire, who is the same age but dresses "like one of the cast members from Barney and Friends"; Massie predictably rebels. She wastes no opportunity to let Claire know there is no room for her in the in-crowd; Claire, however, decides to fight back. What follows is a rigorous battle of wills between the girls involving backbiting, scheming and carrying out nasty pranks. With an arsenal stocked with designer clothing and cosmetics, fancy cell phones and "mani/pedi" appointments, Massie and her friends publicly humiliate Claire time after time, and Claire, slowly but surely, figures out a way to turn Massie's friends against her. Readers who are initially amused may find that the successive acts of one-upmanship result in a one-note read-while Massie and Claire experience a moment or two of camaraderie, they stay pretty superficial, unchanged by their victories and defeats. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Children's LiteratureClaire is not like the other 7th grade girls at the Octavian Country Day School, an exclusive private school she has just started attending as a result of her family's move from Florida to Westchester County, New York. She wears overalls from the Gap that are a few years old and her new Keds that she thought were great, are beyond horrendous in the eyes of the clique, a group of four conniving, judgmental girls. The leader of this group is Massie, whose family has opened their guesthouse to Claire and her family (the dads were college buddies) while they look for a new home. The two girls are thrown together with disastrous results. Few readers will actually relate to the lifestyles Claire's classmates lead: drivers to take them to and from school, multiple credit cards for superfluous purchases, cell phones, the mansions with pools and guesthouses, etc. Characters are thinly portrayed; one development in the plot attempts to expose each member of the clique weaknesses, but fails to effectively do so. The empty plot spins its wheels and goes nowhere, with little conflict resolution at the end. It's true that 7th graders, especially girls, can be cruel to each other, but directing them to read this book about the "have's" and the "have nots" is just a waste of time. 2004, 17th Street Productions/An Alloy Company, Ages 12 up. \ —Cindy L. Carolan\ \ \ VOYAThe Clique was a sweet representation of life as a preteen. It was a little corny and goofy sometimes, but that only added to the genuine feel of the book and the characters. The book is definitely not one to expand your mind, but it serves as a nice quick read. The writing style was smooth and easy to understand, which makes it a bit more appropriate for a younger audience. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Little Brown, 220p., Trade pb. Ages 11 to 15. \ —Stephanie Liverant, Teen Reviewer\ \ \ \ \ KLIATTMassie Block has the perfect life: she has three best friends, dubbed "The Clique," who worship her; the latest fall fashions; and a gorgeous dog named Bean to dote upon. The student body of Octavian Country Day School looks to her in both fear and awe as a trendsetter. Then Claire and her family move into the guesthouse on the Block family property and this throws Massie's life into upheaval. Claire is completely out of her element in Westchester County, New York, where no one appreciates her white Gap jeans, navy blue Keds, and fondness for gummy candy. She tries desperately to make friends with Massie, who wants nothing to do with her and turns The Clique against her. However, Massie underestimates the feisty Claire as an adversary, and the two girls are soon locked in a contest of wills. The first book in a new series, this novel is a unique take on the popular "chick lit" genre for teens. One particularly amusing feature of the story is Massie's "State of the Union," her nightly report of what is "in" and "out" in her world. Despite the placement of numerous brand names on almost every page, Harrison creates characters that readers will want to get to know further. Recommended for younger teen girls who are not yet old enough to enjoy the Gossip Girl series. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2004, Little Brown, 17th Street Productions, 220p., Ages 12 to 15. \ —Olivia Durant\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 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 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \