Thursday, August 5, 2010

Bratfest at Tiffany's


Its a new school year and the 8th grade. The boys from Briarwood have come over to OCD until their school is renovated. The PC has been away from each other during the summer so its the first day back. As they were dumped by the boys at the end of the year party Massie has decided that they are on a boy fast. No boys but BFF's first and always. She gives them charm bracelets from Tiffany's to let them know that they are the NPC and that is New Pretty Committee. Anyone breaking the boy fast is out of the NPC.


We are seeing results of the monster these girls have created in Massie. They are not allowed to like boys? If they do something that is human and normal for their age then they loose their friends?


The NPC walks into the cafeteria for their Welcome Back! assembly. They make a late entrance on purpose and go to the reserved table that Claire saved before school. As they thought they would be worshipped like last year they are shocked that people are staring at them and look annoyed. They sit down, start texting and do not understand why they are not ah-dored by their fans. Massie has decided it is the boys being there that has made them loose their thrones per say. She notices that her friends are noticing them and reigns them in and quickly reminding them that they are to go on this boyfast or loose their place in the NPC.


We are seeing what happens when a Queen gets dethroned. Listen, you are doing a girl so much more harm by building her up so much than you are abusing another one. As you see, she will eventually fall and because the boys are there that they are not on top. Massie is doing all she can to hold on to this status. Even if it means trying to stop being human. Its normal for girls this age to notice boys! If a girl has been going to school without boys then yes, them being there is a huge deal. Massie's control is evident here.


Alicia is doing announcements during lunch again and this time a boy named Josh comes into the booth with her. He was told by his friends to ignore The PC because they were spies and stalkers. He told them to get over it and nobody was the wiser or really cared. Alicia admitted that in her world it was not that easy. She would endure banishment and the wrath of Massie if she decided to like a boy.


Should these kids have to worry about being normal? The boys have a healthy attitude here. Sure, they decided they were not going to like The PC but they broke that promise and all is well with them. Why should girl world be so destructive? At this age, friends are a girls whole life. All this is doing is reinforcing that it is not okay to be human for Alicia. Her world will crash if she does.


The NPC goes down to the room that they earned from Skye last year. It is now a locker room for boys. Massie has the girls recite a pledge promising total devotion to the NPC and to ignore boys completely. Friends first and foremost.


Okay, at this age friends will sell their souls to stay part of the group. Having them pledge something such as this only makes them as insecure as they already are. All five are insecure and something like this adds to the problem. Please, talk to tweens about true friendship and that people needing space is normal.


The next day the school decides to divide students into two separate groups. One will take classes in the main building while the other group will go out to trailers. Alicia and Josh come up with a plan where they will be housed in the main building and away from The NPC. This way Alicia can like Josh and not fear losing her friends.


Should it even come to this? I think the writing is on the wall here.


The NPC (except Alicia) are housed in the trailers and are not happy. Massie uses this as a way to get back on top. The first day she notices all of the LBR's and forms names for them which gives the NPC more reason to be nasty.


Has anyone noticed that according to Massie everyone but The PC are LBR's. Me thinks she does this to maintain control over her friends. Yet these girls live in fear and will not come together and stand up to her!


The local news shows up the next day to do a story on the merging of the schools and that they are in two different sections of the school. However, the story gets lost in the translation and it comes across as important kids are in the main building while disabled kids are in trailers. Alicia is interviewed for the story and is wearing Josh's Yankees cap as she forgets to take it off. Later that evening the girls are at GLU Headquarters watching this segment. Massie is furious that Alicia was wearing Josh's cap and that she thought Alicia was trying to make them out to look like losers on camera. So, Alicia is forced to turn in her charm bracelet and is banned from the NPC. The bracelet is thrown in the fire place.


You know, Massie is asking a lot of her friends. She is demanding they always look good, they are not allowed to make mistakes and are not allowed to be human. What has happened to Alicia is devastating. Losing your friends at this age is like an adult losing a job, house and their family all at once. The stress is that intense. These girls are learning to fear being human and normal. Claire chews her fingernails to the quick. It is how she deals with these problems.


Massie decides to give the trailers a makeover and of course not consulting anyone as to what they think. On the inside she decorates it like the inside of a Tiffany's box and the outside is like the outside of a Tiffany's box. Also, Massie starts to develop a crush on a boy named Dempsey.


A-ha! Massie is being human also. What happened to pledging ones life to her and the PC? Oh wait, rules don't apply to Massie, I forgot. These trailers are a hit, even the teachers like them. So, this has put Massie back on top again. However, parents begin to complain because they do not fork out so much money to send their kids to school and they not get to be in the trailers also. Lawsuit threats start to fly and the school decides to have a contest to see who should be in the trailers or in the main building.


Alicia misses her friends. She wants back into the group as the NPC are ignoring her completely or calling her an LBR. Alicia will do anything to get back in. So, Massie says she can be in if Alicia will rig the contest. Massie wants to be with Dempsey and so when Alicia announces the winner at the friday night school party, she has the NPC in the main building and the "LBR's" in the trailers. Once again, Massie is every one's hero and Alicia is back in the NPC. The boy fast is now off.


You know what, it is interesting that since Massie started liking a boy the boyfast was over. These Queens never cease to amaze me. Its all about them and people follow them so blindly. As for Massie being wonderful again, the others think she did them a favor when the whole time it was all to benefit her. Alicia was risking everything to cater to Massie and what she wanted. She lied and manipulated and once again, these girls are learning to lie, cheat, steal and get rewarded. No wonder our society is in the dumper!


This book gives us an opening into how far a Queen Bee will go to remain Queen. Also, we are starting to see what happens when she falls off her throne. The next book should be a real eye opener.


Disclaimer: I do not own these books. They belong to Lisi Harrison and the folks over at Poppy Books.


No comments:

Post a Comment