Dork Diaries II

Dork Diaries II

Juvenile series
Remember how back in January I became addicted to Rachel Renee
Russell's Dork Diaries. I was able to read four volumes. I also knew
how to get my hands on the rest--through the wonders of Inter Library
Loan. I requested four more and was pleased to see them arrive in
time for this week's candy night. Party on!!!
Just a short review on the cast is in order. Our intrepid
heroine and diarist extrodinaire, Nikki J. Maxwell, is a not-so-rich
student in a private school so posh it has a Starbucks in its
cafeteria. She's there on scholarship because her father, an
exterminator with a 5' tall dead cockroach on his van, has a contract
to keep the school vermin free. (Nikki lives in fear of that
intelligence going viral.) The school's number one queen of mean,
MacKenzie, has the locker next to Nikki's and seems to take special
pleasure in tormenting her. Perhaps this is because they both like
the same boy, Brandon, who seems immune to MacKenzie's dubious
charms. Back at home Nikki's parents seem abbysmally clueless about
the drama in her life. And there's a little sister who she feels is
seriously in need of psychiatric help.
Volume 2, Tales from a NOT-SO-Popular party centers around the
school's Halloween dance. MacKenzie is in charge of the event. Not
surprisingly, Nikki, her BFFs Chloe and Zoe, and a couple of other
kids low on the social totem pole make up the cleaning crew.
But wait. Things can get worse. MacKenzie is a girl who lives
by the motto: don't get mad; get even. When Brandon refuses to
invite her to the dance MacKenzie gets revenge. She and the other
committee heads withdraw, leaving the cleaning crew in charge. Before
quitting they make sure there is no place, band, decorations, or
caterer. Nikki will be blamed if the dance students have really been
looking forward falls through. Will she become even less popular than
the black mold in the gym showers?
Volume 3, Tales from a NOT-SO-Talented Pop Star, starts out with
Nikki being totally traumatized. She and her sister perform the theme
song for Brianna's favorite restaurant. She's sure no one she knows
is there. Only nemesis Mackenzie is there with her cell phone which
she is not afraid to use. By night time the video is posted on the
Internet.
Nikki goes to school reluctantly, sure everyone will be making
fun of her. Only they're excited about really exciting news: an
upcoming talent show with really fabulous prizes. Nikki plans to
enter. Unfortunately MacKenzie is determined to get her fifteen
minutes of fame and will stop at nothing to win.
Also Nikki's school is experiencing an insect infestation. The
principal is requesting her father's professional services. Now maybe
all her peers will learn the secret she hasn't even told her best
friends.
In Volume 6, Tales from a NOT-SO-Happy Heartbreaker, Nikki is
looking toward the upcoming Valentine's Day dance--the most important
dance of the school year with excitement and dread. It's all about
girls asking guys. Nikki wants, as you've probably guessed, to ask
Brandon. She knows mean girl MacKenzie, her rival for Brandon's
affections, will be giving this conquest her best shot.
Brandon has been acting awfully strange ever since his birthday
party. According to an article in a magazine, he's showing all five
symptoms of just not being into her. Has he decided that rich,
popular MacKenzie is more his cup of tea?
In Volume 7, Tales from a NOT-SO-Glam TV Star Nikki is the star
of her own reality TV show. A television crew will be documenting her
life. Although she knows most kids would love to have that
opportunity, she's not crazy about the idea of the crew following her
home to meet her exterminator father with the 5' long dead cockroach
on his work van, her mom who is angling for her own organic cooking
show, and her obnoxious and possibly disturbed little sister.
The family turns out to be the least of her problems.
MacKenzie, queen of mean, is in full sabatoge mode, even capturing
Nikki's camera crew by pretending to be a caring friend.
Now I know that very few, if any, of us or our kids get into the
extreme situations Nikki does. But very few of us get through the
middle school years without being picked on by mean kids, wondering
how a crush could possibly see in us, or feeling that awkward
situations go on forever. There's a little bit of Nikki in most of us.
On a personal note, I donated blood Wednesday. It went really well as
usual. My blood pressure was a perfect 106/74. When you think about
it that's a gift both literally and figuratively from the <3.
A great big shout out goes out to you, my readers, with best wishes
for a fabulous Valentines Day. Just remember one thing. Love isn't
about giving candy and flowers once a year. It's about treating
significant others with patience and kindness all 365.
Julia Emily Hathaway




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