Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard
Hennepin County Library hardcover 286 pages
genre: realistic (?) fiction (what I call "mean girls")

What I liked: . . . good question. I really tried to keep an open mind. I think Aria was my favorite character.

What I disliked:  the meanness of the girls' "friendship" - based on lies, coercion, threats, and taunting; the fact that "The Jenna Thing" was never explained; the ugly behaviors (drinking, smoking pot, shoplifting, sleeping around, bulimia, drunk driving, . . . and NO apparent negative repercussions for negative behavior other than the censure of their peers); the shallow and materialistic focus on shopping, name-brands, etc.; . . .

Why I read it at all:  for a few years, I've just said "no" when kids have asked about this series. This year, I've had more requests than ever and lots of disappointment when I said "no." Then I thought perhaps I was being unfairly biased. I'd never actually read one of the books or watched the tv show . . . I ought to at least try. So I got this and was ready to stop at chapter five. What garbage! Then I pondered WHY I hated it so much. After all, I have other books in this collection that include teenage drinking and promiscuity. I have other books I don't "like." So I decided to read through to the end. Yuk. What an awful book! I'm not sure why it's so popular.