How to Rock Break-Ups and Make-Ups (review)

Even though the orthodontia and glasses that precipitated her fall from queen bee status (in How to Rock Braces and Glasses, BCCB 11/11) are a thing of the past, Kacey's trying very hard not to revert to her previous mean-girl ways. Unfortunately, there's a lot in her life that needs fixing, and pranks and schemes are her knee-jerk solution to everything from her friend Paige struggling to win the election for class president to crushing on her bandmate Zander to dealing with Zander's old friend Stevie, an insufferable it-girl who has just moved to town. Worst of all, her mother has started dating for the first time since her divorce from Kacey's father, and her new boyfriend is Stevie's dad. Readers won't be surprised at how spectacularly awry Kacey's plans go, as her propensity for crafting elaborate schemes far outstrips her ability to pull them off, but the journey to chaos and back is energetic and pleasantly eccentric. The various relationships are drawn with specificity, humor, and empathy, and the treatment of friendship, family, and dating issues is sensitive and deft, particularly when it comes to Kacey and Stevie's ways of dealing with their divorced parents. Kacey's friendship with Stevie, burgeoning as the girls try to thwart their parents' romance, cleverly underscores how alike the two of them are (though not always for the best), and, as in the first book, Kacey is sympathetic even when she is far from likable. Hand this to tweens in search of sitcom-ready feel-good fun.