How to Be Bad

Starred review from February 25, 2008
Three deservedly popular YA authors take turns narrating this exuberant novel, which centers on a road trip. After working all summer in their small Florida town at the Waffle House (they call it the Awful Waffle), three girls strike out for the weekend, with Miami their intended destination. The three-way collaboration pushes the authors into directions they might not have chosen individually—Lockhart's (The
Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
) narrator, Vicks, is less aloof than the author's usual protagonist, and more congenial; she's less elite (she wants to be a cook) but she's just as self-assured and intelligent. Mlynowski's narrator, Mel, the diffident middle child in an affluent Canadian family, faces the same insecurities as the main character in the Bras & Broomsticks
books, but she approaches them in a reflective manner. Myracle (TTYL
) tries on heavy issues: Bible-thumping Jesse can't cope with her mom's recent diagnosis of cancer. Whip-smart dialogue and a fast-moving, picaresque plot that zooms from lump-in-the-throat moments to all-out giddiness will keep readers going, and it's a testimony to how real these girls seem that the final chapters are profoundly satisfying rather than tidy. Ages 14-up.

May 1, 2008
Gr 9 Up-Jesse, Vicks, and Mel spontaneously decide to take a road trip to visit Vicks's boyfriend who is in college in Miami. Jesse and Vicks have been friends for ages, but now there is a wedge between them. Jesse is a devout Christian who frowns on drinking and premarital sex; her unmarried mother calls her Goody Two-shoes and Vicks is getting fed up with her friend's "holier than thou" attitude. In fact, this is a large focal point of the story, and readers are sometimes left to wonder why they are still best friends, and when and how Jesse became so religious. Mel is a wealthy newcomer who has offered to pay for the trip, hoping to be accepted by them. Once they get into the car, infighting (and outright fighting) takes over. Still, the girls have wild adventures, including a party at which Vicks and Mel get drunk, a hurricane, a fistfight, and a run-in with a live alligator in order to save a baby duckling. Through confrontations with one another, with boys, and with family, the teens work through the issues they are facing and learn the importance of relying on friends. The presentation of three voices is effective since they come from three different authors, giving readers a variety of perspectives to consider. Teens are left with a satisfying conclusion that ties up most ends and creates hope for those issues left unresolved."Emily Garrett Cassady, North Garland High School, TX"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2008
While navigating the ups and downs of their friendship, Vicks, Mel, and Jesse encounter many adventures on their road trip to visit Vicks's boyfriend (a giant stuffed alligator, a drunken party, a hurricane, a real alligator). This collaborative novel by the three popular authors is long, but by the end readers will want--or be grateful for--friends like these.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2008
In an uncharacteristically rebellious moment, Jesse borrows her mamas car and skips hicksville with Vicks, her best friend, and Mel, a new girl at work. Their destination: Miami, where Vicks boyfriend, Brady, attends college. Jesse is running from the news that her mom has breast cancer; Vicks is afraid thatBrady isalready over her. Mel just wants to belong, but she worries that the others areusing her for her money. Like most road trips, this one ismore about the journey than the destination: numerous detoursincluding breaking into a roadside attraction, escaping a hurricane, and hooking Mel up with a hot guyprovide the space the girls need to sort out their problems. This novel is the product of an unusual collaboration by three authors whose popular previous books, such asLockharts Dramarama (2007), Mlynowskis Bras & Broomsticks (2005), and Myracles TTYL (2004), make them well known to their target audience. Here, the authors styles blend seamlessly, folding three characters distinct voicesinto a funny, poignant story about facing your troubles with friends at your side.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)