Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook. Simon Pulse, 2010.
Helen Worthington has been best friends with Lauren Wood since they were born; they were even next to each other in the hospital nursery. In the spring before ninth grade, Helen is accused of tattling on the boys who played the senior prank. Even though she is not the one who did turned the boys in, she is shunned and picked on by her classmates for the rest of the school year. When she discovers that Lauren is actually the one who caused all the trouble, she cannot believe it! Her family moves away for three years, and during that time, Helen’s appearance changes dramatically; she grows from an ugly duckling into a swan! When she has a chance to move back to Terrace and live with her grandmother, Helen decides to change her name and carry out a plan to get her revenge on Lauren Wood.
This book is reminiscent of The Mean Girls movies; only one of the characters who are mean is actually nice! Lauren and her friends Bailey and Kyla are the “popular” girls who accept the new girl “Claire Dantes” into their inner circle because they believe she has moved from New York, is pretty, and wears the right clothes. Lauren is the stereotypical rich, mean girl who believes everyone wants to be just like her. Her minions, however, become disenchanted with Lauren after a series of events that Claire ramrods. Claire is a delightful character who is so obsessed with Lauren’s downfall that she does not realize who her friends really are until it is almost too late.
The whole theme of the story is seeing people for whom they really are, and this theme is carried out beautifully in the plot. This book is humorous, and some of the characters are really sneaky. The twist at the end will surprise readers! I recommend
