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Summary
Summary
Computer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader. Even worse, there's a new girl at Molly Brown Middle School who is determined to remake Erin in her bad-girl image, and former crush Mark "Cute Boy" Sacks has been acting strange lately. But as Erin 's school year once against hurdles toward disaster, a personal tragedy forces her to realize that things, and people, aren't always as bad as they seem. Can she save what's left of eighth grade before it's too late?
Author Notes
Denise Vega wrote her first children's book when she was twelve years old. Her short stories have been published in a number of children's magazines including Spider, Highlights and Pockets. She is the author ofClick Here (to find out how i survived seventh grade)andGrandmother, Have the Angels Come?
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-This is a fast-paced, engaging sequel to Vega's Click Here (to Find Out How I Survived the Seventh Grade) (Little, Brown, 2005). Erin Swift is a funny, bright girl who encounters some of the most typical (yet poignant) trials and tribulations that early adolescence has to offer. An overbearing, overprotective mother makes Erin chomp at the bit for freedom and adulthood. A first boyfriend (who she doesn't really like very much) and a breakup leave her confused about her tastes and judgment. A wild, intriguing new girl at school challenges her ideas about fun and friendship. Finally, a tragedy introduces the teen to loss, grief, and regret. Added to the mix are Erin's tech-savvy humor and matter-of-fact inner dialogue. Although some of the tech terms may soon be outdated, it is fun to read about a computer- and gadget-loving girl protagonist.-Nora G. Murphy, Los Angeles Academy Middle School (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
After surviving the "Year of Humiliating Events (YOHE)" in Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade), Erin Swift, Web site-designer extraordinaire, is ready to make a fresh start. But in eighth grade, she faces a new set of boy problems, trouble with friends and a painful loss that makes her rethink her priorities. Clearly in tune with adolescents' roller coaster emotions and their numerous challenges, Vega's sequel is accented with excerpts from Erin's "new and improved, totally secret & private home page" that convey her triumphs and anxieties. Erin's on-again, off-again crushes-especially with basketball buddy Mark-are entertaining; her more complex relationships with aging custodian, Mr. Foslowski and new student, Reede, who does "a lot of things against the rules," add depth. As before, Erin proves to be a good girl who sometimes finds herself in awkward situations. Accurately mirroring middle-school life, the story should hit home with tweens. Ages 12-up. (July) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Review
Ever funny and clever, Erin tackles eighth grade. Her blog now truly privatepreventing 2008's Harriet the Spylike reveal in Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived the Seventh Grade)she tallies "Things That Rock," "Things That Make Me Wonder," "Top 5 First Period Nightmares" and boys worthy of the Hot-O-Meter. Crushes and couplings wax and wane; Erin IMs and ponders attraction's inconstancy. Narrating in first-person prose, she recognizes her own solemn playfulness as she swears "I'm never washing my nose again" (after a cute boy taps it) or taunts her older brother with a tampon (wrapped, natch, but still horrifying to him). Beloved school custodian Mr. Foslowski, who sympathizes and provides Tootsie Pops, balances Erin's strict parents ("They wouldn't even let me go to just any PG-13 movie. Hello? PG-13? I'm thirteen?"). Experimenting with disobedience (skipped seatbelt; forbidden party) initiates some sorrows that are only partly Erin's fault. Voice occasionally strains (calling her own breasts "my perky petes"?), and Vega unfortunately conflates poverty with smoking, lying and getting kicked out of school. However, Erin's ups and downs are humanizing, entertaining and real. (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Eighth-grader Erin Swift may be a computer whiz, but she's still reeling from a devastating seventh-grade year in which her supposedly secret blog was revealed to the entire school. However, she's ready to turn things around and get her first boyfriend (and her first kiss), while learning makeup and style tips from the new It girl at Molly Brown Middle School, her ultra-sophisticated locker partner. A series of entertaining misadventures ensue, involving a mad crush on her older brother's friend; flirting with strange boys at the mall; making, losing, and regaining friendships; and a disastrous high-school party. Throughout it all, the school janitor, Mr. Foslowski, is a wonderful friend and offers support. Although the plot is solidly predictable, Erin's delightfully real voice and the timely formats of blog entries and IMs, in addition to standard narrative, invite the reader into a fully realized middle-school world. While clearly a sequel to Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade) (2005), this title easily stands on its own.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2009 Booklist