How To Be Bad [Hardcover]

Lauren Myracle (Author), E. Lockhart (Author), Sarah Mlynowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2008

From three critically acclaimed and bestselling authors comes one story - equal parts charming, hilarious, and emotional - of a road trip that proves that sometimes it doesn't matter where you're going, since getting there is half the fun.

Three girls who couldn't be more different have one goal in mind: to get the heck out of Dodge. Well, Niceville, Florida, actually. But it might as well be called Nowheresville. Vicks is the wild-child fry cook whose boyfriend left for college and isn't returning any of her calls; Mel, the good girl in expensive jeans who just wants everyone to like her; and Jesse, the trailer-dwelling human morality meter who's discovered a life-altering secret -

Each has her own reason for climbing into Jesse's mom's beat-up station wagon and hitting the highway for a weekend trip, whether she knows it or not. Armed only with Vicks's ancient, battered copy of a guidebook called Fantastical Florida, a map Jesse picked up with her dwindling funds, and Mel's mom's credit card, they're Miami bound. Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything. And if they don't kill each other first, Vicks, Mel and Jesse will not only have a road trip to remember, they'll have friends for life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Jesse, Vicks, and Mel spontaneously decide to take a road trip to visit Vicks's boyfriend who is in college in Miami. Jesse and Vicks have been friends for ages, but now there is a wedge between them. Jesse is a devout Christian who frowns on drinking and premarital sex; her unmarried mother calls her Goody Two-shoes and Vicks is getting fed up with her friend's "holier than thou" attitude. In fact, this is a large focal point of the story, and readers are sometimes left to wonder why they are still best friends, and when and how Jesse became so religious. Mel is a wealthy newcomer who has offered to pay for the trip, hoping to be accepted by them. Once they get into the car, infighting (and outright fighting) takes over. Still, the girls have wild adventures, including a party at which Vicks and Mel get drunk, a hurricane, a fistfight, and a run-in with a live alligator in order to save a baby duckling. Through confrontations with one another, with boys, and with family, the teens work through the issues they are facing and learn the importance of relying on friends. The presentation of three voices is effective since they come from three different authors, giving readers a variety of perspectives to consider. Teens are left with a satisfying conclusion that ties up most ends and creates hope for those issues left unresolved.—Emily Garrett Cassady, North Garland High School, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In an uncharacteristically rebellious moment, Jesse “borrows” her mama’s car and skips hicksville with Vicks, her best friend, and Mel, a new girl at work. Their destination: Miami, where Vicks’ boyfriend, Brady, attends college. Jesse is running from the news that her mom has breast cancer; Vicks is afraid that Brady is already over her. Mel just wants to belong, but she worries that the others are using her for her money. Like most road trips, this one is more about the journey than the destination: numerous detours—including breaking into a roadside attraction, escaping a hurricane, and hooking Mel up with a hot guy—provide the space the girls need to sort out their problems. This novel is the product of an unusual collaboration by three authors whose popular previous books, such as Lockhart’s Dramarama (2007), Mlynowski’s Bras & Broomsticks (2005), and Myracle’s TTYL (2004), make them well known to their target audience. Here, the authors’ styles blend seamlessly, folding three characters’ distinct voices into a funny, poignant story about facing your troubles with friends at your side. Grades 9-12. --Krista Hutley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006128422X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061284229
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,574,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teen book with depth, May 17, 2008

By 

Tina "Tina" (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: How To Be Bad (Hardcover)

I have been on a run of good luck in the last few weeks - reading books that have been interesting and fun at the same time.

I am an adult who enjoys reading a good Young Adult (teen) book. Unfortunately, when I was that age, the selections were very limited - now, teens have a much broader choice.

How to Be Bad was a pleasant surprise for me. I don't normally enjoy reading a book where there are 3 separate voices taking turns telling their story - which is the case here.

How to Be Bad introduces us to 3 very different girls and through their voices (each was written by a different author and we do not get to find out who is who until the very end of the book), you will get a slightly different perspective on a road trip that they have decided to embark on together.

Indeed, Vicks, Jesse and Mel work together and are all the same age, but only Vicks and Jesse are really close friends. On the spur of the moment, for various personal reasons, all three of the girls end up on a three day road trip in a beat up station wagon. Jesse needs to get away from her mother and her illness, Vicks needs to find out what is going on with her suddenly "hard to reach" boyfriend and Mel just seems to have a desperate need to make friends.

As we follow our girls on the road, experiencing their ups and downs, crying for them and with them and cheering them on, we get a coming of age story that is both heartwarming and funny.

The open road becomes a bit of a metaphor for what the girls are living and while this ride is only a three day weekend, in the end, it is enough to give them all important insights into what is important and what can be left by the side of the road.

Well written, intriguing (which author is actually writing which part?)with genuine emotion, this book was a treat

[...]

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blended talent, May 9, 2008

By 

J. White "older reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How To Be Bad (Hardcover)

As an older reader with time on my hands to try to keep up with what is being offered my granddaughters, and having enjoyed many of Lauren Myracle's previous works, but knowing nothing about Ms Lockhart or Ms Mlymowski, I approached HTBB with some reserve. Why would someone as talented as Ms Myracle do a threesome? How were the authors going to blend their three voices into one story? She must have had a lot of confidence in her co-authors to put her reputation on the line, split the take and collaborate with them. To my delight their three voices sang like a choir, and the story came through seamlessly, mixing humor, feelings and insight as if written by only one of them. Congratulations to them all!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story Siren Reviews:, September 21, 2008

By 

The Story Siren "Kristi" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: How To Be Bad (Hardcover)

Lockhart, Mlynowski and Myracle's collaboration reaches an all time sensational reading high! I've read two out of the three authors' works, so I wasn't surprised of my fondness. The three voices gave an interesting perspective as a reader. Their problems are realistic and valid problems that teens face. Witty dialogue and a fast moving engrossing plot only add the overall premise of the book! I found it almost impossible to put this book down, once I started reading it! So be prepared!