THE BATTLE OF DARCY LANE, by Tara Altebrando

The story: What was supposed to be a fun summer turns nasty when new girl Alyssa moves in and immediately steals Julia's best friend. Alyssa says awful things about people and is just plain mean--why can't Taylor see it? And now that Julia's figured out she has a crush on long-time friend Peter, it looks like Alyssa's going to try to steal him too. How can you hold on to what you have without being mean too? Clue: it could have something to do with Russia!

June Cleaver's ratings: language PG; violence G; Sexual content G; nudity G; substance abuse PG; magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (bulllying behaviors) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Altebrando has a great way of showing what it's really like to be in 7th grade, where friendships are everything and betrayals feel like the end of the world. Julia's journey to understanding that proximity isn't always the best ground for friendship is believable and her frustration about her mixed feelings for "would be" crush Peter are fun and engaging. A snappy little read, totally for girls.