Have
you ever wanted to be part of the “In Crowd”? What if the only person at
school who actually spoke to you was your best friend? Margalo and Mikey
are in 7th grade. They both want to be poplar, well, not really popular
as much as they want to not be unpopular. What can they do to fit in with
the popular kids? Mikey has an idea to throw a dinner party for Halloween.
Margalo knows it will never work, but once Mikey sets her mind on something,
there’s no talking her out of it. When no one shows at her party Mikey
seeks revenge on everyone she invited especially Heather who taunts
her in front of everyone while her followers look on and laugh. Mikey responds
by dumping her tray on Heather and the war is on.
The principal tells Mikey she’ll wind up pregnant and in all kinds of trouble.
Mikey’s next plan is to get the principal to let 7th graders play on the
tennis team with the 8th graders. Margalo plans the strategy for this idea,
but she has her own set of problems. Read It’s Not Easy Being Bad by Cynthia
Voigt to find out what happens to the girls as they try to make their place
in middle school.
Excerpt from the book:
“That was a cool joke, Mikey"....A fake concerned expression floated over
Heather McGinty’s face and settled there, a hen settling down on its eggs.
“ It was a joke, wasn’t it?” she asked, so sincere that everybody had to
know she was faking.
There was half a minute or so of silence. Then the girls around Heather
started to laugh, and people at nearby tables turned around to see what
was going on. …..
Things were easier for Mikey.
She took her foot down, off the bench.
She shifted her grip on the tray.
She flipped the tray, sending her whole lunch flying up, spraying chunky
soup and skinny sandwich, and milk, and Jell-O, out across the table, so
it could rain down over Heather McGinty.
The whole time Mikey was smiling furiously. (Pam Bowers, pbowers@lcsd.k12.sc.us,
Media Specialist, Kershaw, SC) |
