Customer Reviews

Dial L for Loser (Clique)

5 star:		(195)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

Lisi Harrison's debut novel introduces us to THE CLIQUE - a quartet of popular girls attending private school in New York. These girls are wise (and rich) beyond their twelve years, valuing their designer clothes, sparkling homes, and precious cell phones above all else. At the top of the clique is Massie, a girl whose room is modeled after an all-white posh hotel suite.

When her father's longtime friend has a stroke of bad luck, Massie's dad lets his friend, his friend's wife and his daughter stay in the guesthouse. This girl may be Massie's peer and new classmate, but, since she is clad in overalls and Keds, Massie is reluctant to make friends.

What follows is a somewhat predictable but squeaky clean story, appropriate for middle grades to read. Think a G-rated version of Gossip Girl: money talks, clothes matter, but friendship and backstabbing are the main issues instead of dating and, ahem, other more adult things. In other words, if you like the movie Mean Girls, you'll like this book.

Reading is like magic, you get sucked into the book. This book in really well written, interesting, and some parts are funny. However, when you put the book down to go to dinner and you take another look at your un-manicured nails and your limited clothes selection, it makes you dissapointed. Massie Block, Dylan Marvil, and Alicia Rivera live the lives of the rich. When I first put the book down for a break my mind was thinking, "Wow, Claire is really poor and dorky" and then I remembered the fact that I own Keds, I shop at the GAP, and I only throw clothes away when they get stained or don't fit me. The book made me feel bad about the fact that my favorite shirt is my one of only 3 Abercrombie & Fitch shirts because it was a little too pricy. I know that as a teen (which I am) these books can be fun to read because when you are reading it and it focuses on Massie, you feel like you are in her shoes. The book was good, really, but approach with caution.

This book, "The Clique", overall is a charming story about tweens ganging up on the "new girl" who is less fortunate than these upper crust Westchester snobs. Even the cover should give away some information about the story since its bearing the classic Burberry print.
However, I didn't think that the 7th grade girls were portrayed accurately. I don't think any 7th grader would act that mature. I know because my daughter goes to a New York City all-girls private school. I read this book because I wanted to learn more about how girls interacted with each other this day in age. I chose this book because it seemed the most appealing the time. When I finished this book my daughter found it, read it, and told me it was mixture of: Gossip Girl (how money, wealth, and designers are incorporated) + Mean Girls (how the girls acted and the strategies they used against each other) + lastly, the A-List & the sequel Girls on Film (the insecurites of the girls and wealth).

1. The writing is terrible. Phrases such as "he/she was refering to" are repeated multiple times and "ehmigod" is used frequently in the dialogue. And, seriously, hasn't this author ever heard of "Said is Dead"? There is no writer's craft or emotion. The writing is very plain.

2. Massie, the main character, is the most pathetic person I've ever seen. Her biggest problem is "Ehmigod, my Jimmy Choo shoes are, like, stuck in the grass. Ewwww!!" She won't wear anything unless it was made by a famous fashion designer.She cried herself to sleep the night her mother said she couldn't go shopping for clothes she didn't even need.

3. This story is very unrealistic. It said that Octavian Country Day School is a private school. Obviously Massie's family would be able to afford it, but what about Claire's? If her parents had that kind of money, they wouldn't be living in the Blocks' guesthouse. Also, how many schools have a Starbucks inside of them, and how would the girls have that much time between periods to get coffee?

4. Massie didn't even give Claire a chance. Even before she arrived it said that "Massie had no intention of becoming friends with Claire". After they met, it only became worse. I don't think there's a single person on Earth who would look at a girl, see she wears Gap overalls, and decide they don't like her. Then Massie and her friends started being very cruel to Claire. They spilled red paint on her jeans to make it look like she had her period, for example. I think this behavior is inappropriate for girls at this age and shouldn't be promoted in a children's book.

I could write many more points, but I would be writing for many hours. Anyway, I think you get the idea.

I read this book, and it kept my attention, but it is very unrealistic in my opinion. There are very few schools in the US with a Starbucks inside it, and the girls are VERY cruel to the girl that moves to Massie's mansion. I don't know many girls that would leave someone out like they do because they don't own a Gucci shirt or a bottle of Chanel fragrance. I don't think it's a good influence on the age girls it's written for, as it could give them the idea that they have to own designer outfits, accessories, and cosmetics in order to be able to fit in, or worse, even treat other people wrong because they don't own this stuff. Again, it is pretty interesting when you begin to read it, but it's cruel in many parts and unrealistic.

Unfortunately these books celebrate the worst in our socieity. Consumerism and shallowness run rampant. The characters in these books have party planners and limos; they lose their Gucci wallets when they switch from their Prada bag to their Vitton bag. They believe they have absolute authority to judge others. I could accept these books if the characters would experience some type of growth or epiphany at the conclusion, but they just go on to spread more hate and discontent. These books condone and encourage in worst in our society. The author clearly cares only for increasing her balance sheet and not at all for her readers.

I am 27, but I have a weakness for fun, light YA books like Gossip Girl and the Princess books by Cabot. I picked up the clique with a bit of trepidation, because it just seemed a little too snooty, and maybe too young for me. I shouldn't have worried. This was a playful, drama-filled, purely fun book that kept me entertained from beginning to end!

Massie and her crew get stuck being nice to newcomer Claire (at least while Massie's parents are watching!), who isn't anywhere near as rich and fabulously stylish as The Clique. Claire, of course, realizes that she'd like to be part of the clique and tries to get in. How it all turns out is the story.

I enjoyed this a lot and would recommend it to anyone over the age of ten who enjoys fashion, drama, and books that are just good light fun.

I thought that this book was the most unoriginal garbage I have likely ever read in my life. The characters are ridiculous, spiteful and shallow, and nobody could possibly sympathize with them, or relate to them on any account. The plot is weak and cliched. The most horrible part about this book is that the main characters are so totally unlikeable. Also nobody in the actual book even likes each other. They are rich and spoiled and the characters turn on each other constantly . All the characters in this book are like sheep , following their spoiled leader. And it turns out that the only character that is even remotely decent or likable(Claire), is such a weak person that she follows Massie even when she knows that Massie is cheating or being nasty or absolutely unfair ( which she often does).
This is a ridiculous book and encourages people in a round-about fashion to be nasty.
I would advise anyone about to read this book, not to. It's truly a horrible book and a waste of time.

After several of my friends reccommended this book to me, I was tempted to buy the first book. But when I finished reading The Clique, I was disgusted.

The Clique zooms in on the many social issues girls about age eleven and up face - the cool people, fashion, what's in and out, and whether you're 'worthy' of being considered even a half-decent person. But instead of going against these issues that cause many girls tears and stress, the book promotes them. Yes - it promotes picking on unfashionable people, being a reckless spendthrift, and practically living for spending time with your friends trying to become beautiful. Some might argue with me, saying that the book doesn't straight-out declare that these things are good, but the fact that all the main characters do these things and easily handle them could inspire any girl to do the same thing. There's already too many things in the media saying that you must be beautiful to be a decent person without a book series saying the same thing. And the story is just like those annoying advertisements on television. The most beautiful, most fashionable girls live in the most lovely houses, while the least fashionable girl is forced to live in one of their guest houses. Why should we make more people think that by spending all your money, you'll become rich?

In conclusion, if you're one of the minority of the preteen-teen female population that thinks beauty, wealth, attitude, bullying and vanity aren't the ideal qualities in a girl (are they even 'qualities' in themselves?), then stay away from The Clique. Chances are, you'll be grateful for doing so.

All my friends had been talking about how great these books were, so I was really anxious to start the first one. I am a fifteen year old girl, so I am in the age group for this book, and I was appalled at some of the content. There was some mild foul language in it, the girls have all the wrong kind of morals, and the plot is completely ludicrous! I cannot believe that parents let their daughters read this! It teaches girls that the only way to be accepted is to wear designer clothes and be promiscuous with much older boys at TWELVE YEARS OLD! I go to a private school, am a cheerleader, have an older boyfriend, and considers myself pretty popular...and I do not partake in any of the activities that these girls do. It is a pile of crap and I am so ashamed for even reading it. Don't waste your money.