Girls Acting Catty Review

Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release date: November 10, 2009

Source: Publisher

Other books in the series: Boys Are Dogs (Book #1)

What's harder to deal with than a group of boys who act like dogs? How about a clique of catty mean girls? Annabelle has just figured out how to survive in junior high school. She's made great friends, her teachers are nice, and she's got lots of tricks up her sleeve for taming those pesky boys. But now she and her friends must confront a whole new brand of headache-- the mean girl clique. At first Taylor and her friends were out to get Annabelle's bff Rachel, but soon the whole group is involved. Their friendship is getting tenser by the minute -- unless Annabelle can save the day again?

Review:

Girls Acting Catty was a fun, refreshing sequel to Boys Are Dogs which I read a couple of weeks ago. Margolis sees perfectly into the mind of a sixth grade girl, Annabelle was very believable and likable. I liked how she could stand up for herself and was a really good friend. In Girls Acting Catty, Annabelle had to deal with some mean girls and some of their remarks even made me wince- ah the fond memories of sixth grade. It’s a very hard grade and of course filled with a lot of firsts. Annabelle experienced getting her first bra and learning how to shave her legs, but all of these her mom helped her out with. Annabelle’s mother was very cool and easygoing, but she didn’t have that big of a role in the book. That was one thing that got me a little confused all the characters. Annabelle has four best friends, and sometimes I couldn’t keep track of who was who. Her best friend Rachel was a nice friend and she was perfect for Annabelle. I really liked Jason, her stepbrother. He was a fun character and he added a lot to the novel.

In addition to the characters, I really liked the plot. It was something a lot of girls have to deal with- bullies. Margolis, as she did with Boys Are Dogs, added her own twist to the plot and she did a great job of showing how Annabelle matured from the beginning of the book to the last page. Annabelle also learned a lot about friendship and what it means to be a real friend. I was glad I got to see more of Pepper in this book and even met a new character- Yumi’s cat. In the end I would recommend this to any girls eleven and up. It’s a realistic, funny, and honest look at the life of a sixth grade girl and is filled with likable characters and a unique plot. I’m anxious to see where Margolis takes Annabelle and her friends next.

I also really like the covers of these novels (Boys Are Dogs and Girls Acting Catty), they’re so simple yet represent the story perfectly. I wonder what pet will be idolized on the cover of the third book?

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars