The Battle of Darcy Lane by Tara Altebrando (review)

Summer brings a change to the neighborhood for twelve-year-old Julia—arrogant Alyssa moves in, and her mean-girl charisma intrigues Julia’s best friend, Taylor. Julia’s not giving Taylor up without a fight, though, and she battles Alyssa’s ascension with every sulky, competitive weapon she can muster, finally insisting she can beat Alyssa at Russia, the complicated game Alyssa introduces to the girls. Julia’s old friend Peter, unimpressed with the newcomer, helps coach Julia, but will that be enough for Julia to best Alyssa, and will winning a game win Taylor back? Altebrando has a keen sense for the way preteen girls struggle for primacy—the graceless putdowns, the the desperate disdain, the illogical claims—and Julia is a plausible mix of sinned against (Taylor’s repeated desertion of her old friend is resonantly hurtful) and sinning (Julia’s braggy aggressiveness is believably unpleasant). There’s an underlying message that friends who drift that easily might not be worth fighting for (in fact, it turns out that it’s Taylor who’s been harassing Julia’s house with silent phone calls), and Julia’s growing friendship with Peter and new day-camp alliance with Laney makes it clear that Julia’s not entirely bereft but just reconfiguring her friendships. A solid middle-grades friendship story, this will suit readers not quite ready for Dowell’s The Secret Language of Girls (BCCB 7/04).