June 1, 2012
Defiantly nerdy and full of spunk, Maureen along with friends Alice and Barbara return in this boisterous sequel. The feud between Maureen's group and the trio of "Pretty, Popular, Perfect girls" known as the "ThreePees," begun in Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus (2011), continues unabated. The escalating series of pranks they play on each other attracts the attention of the school administration, and the girls are given an ultimatum: compete as a team in the upcoming Academic Septathalon or be suspended. Suddenly, Maureen is the captain of a team comprised of skirmishing factions and preparing for a rigorous academic competition. However, unexpected alliances form as these archenemies struggle to work together. Their captivating drama culminates during the televised contest. Sitomer gives several returning characters greater depth and invigorates a familiar storyline with intriguing subplots. "Allergy Alice," weary of her mother's overprotectiveness, embarks on a quest to gain independence, with alarming results. Meanwhile, Maureen's long-absent father reappears to repair the family relationship--much to Maureen's consternation. Readers ultimately realize that, regardless of the Septathalon's outcome or family dramas, the Nerd Girls will prevail due to their steadfast, enduring friendship. Truly, as Maureen triumphantly proclaims, "Nerds rule" in this satisfying sequel. (Fiction. 12 & up)
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August 1, 2012
Gr 6-8-When readers left the Nerd Girls in The Rise of the Dorkasaurus (Hyperion, 2011), they had gotten just a smidgen of revenge against the group of mean girls in the school, the ThreePees. Unfortunately, this just added fuel to the ThreePees' fire. After a prank traps the middle schoolers in the art room with flying paint and supplies (thereby destroying school property), both groups are given a choice by the principal: join together to form the school's Academic Septathalon team or face suspension and possibly expulsion. Meanwhile, narrator Maureen has returned to junk food and sarcasm to cope with a personal crisis: her long-gone father has reappeared and wants to be a part of her life. Maureen, Barbara, and Alice work together once again to deal with the ThreePees and study feverishly to try to win the Septathalon. The sarcasm still makes it difficult to form an emotional bond with Maureen, but her personality underneath is showing through just a tad more, and Barbara and Alice also become a little more sympathetic as their home lives come into focus. The televised Septathalon is suspenseful, but the action comes a little too late, and the tension between the two groups seems more forced than realistic. For the most part, the adults and the ThreePees stay one-dimensional, and with the way he's portrayed, one wonders why Maureen would want to know her father at all. This installment is better than the first book, but is still just an additional purchase.-Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 30, 2011
Mean Girls meets Revenge of the Nerds, middle-school style, in a novel that peeks into the lives of an offbeat cast of 13-year-olds in suburban California. Self-proclaimed "anti-cool" Maureen, who's embarrassed about her weight, reluctantly bonds with two other eighth-grade outcastsâhypersensitive Allergy Alice Applebee and clumsy Beanpole Barbaraâover their dislike of the ThreePees, a trio of girls who are "Pretty, Popular, and Perfect." After much trash talk, ridicule, and the cruel posting of a humiliating YouTube video starring Maureen, the two groups of girls prepare for a showdown in the school's talent contest. Sitomer's (The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez) characters mostly remain one-note caricatures: Alice's constant use of her "scuba tank" inhaler (with "wheeesh-whooosh" sound effects); Beanpole's refrain "Don't worry, I'm okay. I'm okay" after bumping into things; and ditzy ThreePee Sofes's malapropisms and non sequiturs. But notes of tenderness and warmth eventually give (some) depth to Maureen and her crew. If the characters and situations feel simplified, there's enough emotional heft to the girls' insecurities, as well as humor and snark in Maureen's thoughts and conversations, to compensate. Ages 11âup.
January 1, 2013
The Nerd Girls--Maureen, Barbara, and Alice-- continue their rivalry with their middle school's mean-girls, the ThreePees. But this time the prank war goes too far, and as punishment the groups must work together to win the annual Academic Septathalon. Believable friendships and quirky (if overly sarcastic) language bolster the narrative, but a subplot involving Maureen's long-absent father mires the humor.
(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)