Big Fat Manifesto (review)

The last thing social malcontent Toby Klein ever imagined herself doing was becoming a member of the Bayport Lion(esse)s cheerleading squad; she enjoys her social anonymity as much as she enjoys not having a beauty regime. She is athletic, sure, but her preference for leisure time had been hacking into supposedly unbeatable computer systems (like the Pentagon's—oops!), and code-breaking. Thus, when her invitation to join the squad comes in a coded if entirely too glittery message, she is compelled to go see what's what. It turns out that the squad is a cover for an elite team of government operatives, and that her little hack into the Pentagon hasn't gone unnoticed after all. As she is swept into the world of large-scale intrigue, danger, and makeovers, Toby's biggest challenges are to overcome her cognitive dissonance regarding the ditziness of cheerleaders and to learn the trick of using a vapid pretty-girl demeanor as a weapon of subterfuge. She's got good teachers, as the other members of the squad emerge as complex characters with diverse skill sets behind their glossy smiles. In addition to offering crafty plotting and time-honored, typical teen conflicts and rivalries, Barnes maintains a sharp sense of humor in this action-adventure series, self-consciously referencing Charlie's Angels and repurposing the accoutrements of popularity for espionage—Tasers that look like iPods, bullet-proof bras, tongue-stud microphones, bubble-gum explosives in strengths that vary by flavor, etc. There's probably a message here about girl power and not judging by appearances, but who cares? For readers who have outgrown Kim Possible or who feel a wee bit guilty over their Gossip Girls addiction, this adds just the right amount of substance without leaving the mind-candy dimension. Give me a C, give me an I, give me an A, give me more of Toby's adventures in espionage.