Dial L for Loser

The Pretty Committee has been expelled from OCD for breaking the rules on the Lake Placid trip. During their "hiatus" Dylan gets them on her mothers show The Daily Grind where they meet a couple of A list actors. This leads to Massie, Alicia and Claire going to Hollywood to audition for a movie Dial L for Loser. Kristen and Dylan stay behind in Westchester.

The girls are at the mall during school hours. Kristen has been punished and is to be studying on her own during the day. Claire's parents are looking into public school. Dylan is not punished because her mother blamed herself for traumatizing Dylan by kissing her teacher. Alicia's father is ready to sue the school if they do not let her back in. Massie's parents have said as long as she does something educational with her time then all is well.

Once again, Dylan is not traumatized. Alicia's father is not holding her responsible at all. It sounds as if Massie's parents are just being negligent. Kristen and Claire's parents are doing the right thing. If this keeps up, these three will be full blown embezzlers and other white collar criminals. We have a problem with accountability in this nation and this is one reason why.

At OCD, a protest is held by students to let The Pretty Committee back in the school. Layne has been pitching for Claire to come back. Strawberry and Kori have started their own circle called Da Crew. Some tennis girls have started a club called The Country Club. Now that The PC is gone these groups are clamouring to be the top clique at school.

First off, why would any one want people around who treat them terribly? The PC has no interest in any one else so why are these people fighting for them to come back? I can understand Layne wanting Claire back as they are friends. I am glad Strawberry and Kori have moved on and are not fighting for these girls to come back. However, forming a clique to be on top? Do you see how The PC is influencing others around them? I say the same about the girls from The Country Club. Where do you think these other girls are learning this behavior?

The Pretty Committee go to the set of The Daily Grind and meet Abby Boyd and Hadley Durk. These are the hottest actresses in Hollywood and are to be working on a movie together. However, they dislike one another in real life. During the interview with Merri-lee, these two actresses fight and Hadley quits the movie. Massie's cell phone gets lost and the Director, Rupert, gets it. He wants to replace Hadley with a unknown fresh face actress. A tabloid show airs on television later in the evening and Rupert is holding up the phone and asking the owner to call it and he will talk to her about being in the movie.

Wow! A kid gets expelled from school and instead of punished she gets to audition for a movie! Has anyone noticed that bad behavior is rewarded? Parents, do I even need to say it? Talk to your kids about how this is wrong and on so many levels.

Massie and The PC send out a online newsletter to "their fans." They exaggerate their visit to The Daily Grind as a way to make everyone jealous. Also, to remind Da Crew and The Country Club who is on top at the school.

This is classic narcissistic behavior. The need to be admired and to make everyone want what they have when nine times out of ten it is exaggeration. If anyone encounters someone who does a lot of embellishing and bragging, do your self a favor and walk away. Better yet suggest they get into therapy. I am serious here. As for fans, once again, stop feeding a bully! The only way a bully reigns is when you give them that power. As you see here, we have a narcissist in the making. You are hurting them twice as much as you are hurting yourself and others around you.

Claire, Massie, their mothers and Alicia go to Los Angeles to audition. On the way to the audition, Massie lets Claire know that she will not get the part. Well, Claire does get the part which angers Alicia and Massie. During the wardrobe fitting, Massie says hurtful things to Claire like Cam will dump her, Claire was allergic to make-up, there will be other movies for losers and the Dial L for Loser crew will find out what a loser she really is. The wardrobe lady steps up and asks Massie if she is Claire's best friend. Massie affirms and the wardrobe lady thought she had a funny way of showing it by saying hurtful things to her. Alicia laughs and Massie blows it off. In Massies mind, Claire deserved it because she got the part.

Okay, for starters, Massie's verbal abuse (no not bullying but full on verbal abuse) was uncalled for. Claire did not deserve this at all. I am glad the lady in wardrobe caught on and spoke up. Parents, please do the same! Kids, do not take this from anyone. Claire took this out of fear. She knew she was in trouble when she beat Massie for getting the part. Claire is developing a lot of resentment and anxiety from all of this. These put downs, if heard enough will eventually create anxiety issues within her along with the low self-esteem she is suffering as a result of her friendship with Massie. If a friend is treating you this way then they are not a real friend but an abuser. Get away from them and take their power with you! Massie gets away with this because instead of standing up to her people feed her.

Back at the hotel, Massie tells Claire to tell her assistant to find her a set of new friends.

At this point, Claire should move on. She does not need this treatment. A real friend will support and not abuse her.

Massie and Alicia become behind the scenes reporters for The Daily Grind for the movie. During an interview, Massie announces that she will playing a loser named Molly in the movie. "You should see her, she is a real natural" says Massie.

Parental intervention is needed yesterday here. These girls are expelled from school and are in Hollywood and part of a movie? No punishment? Instead of enjoying her time in the movie, Claire is a nervous wreck. Massie and Alicia once again take their power and abuse Claire. Why is Dylan's mother even allowing this on the air? Why isn't Claire's mother stepping in or Massie's for that matter? Kristen is probably the only one that is learning any lesson from being expelled from school.

Claire decides to go out on the town one night with Abby and Connor who are also in the movie. Massie called and asked what her plans were but she blew Massie off and went out with the other two instead.

Can you blame her? Who wants to listen to a night time of put downs and insults? Finally, she is away from these two and enjoying herself even though she knows she will pay later. Claire has done nothing wrong legally. Yet, she feels as if she is sitting with a death sentence hanging over her head. Does anyone understand why this child is a chronic nail biter?

Massie learns from Abby that Claire has a crush on her co-star Connor. In reality she doesn't but Abby has to hide the fact that she and Connor are a couple in real life and have to keep it out of the press. So, she gives Massie this information. Massie uses it and goes to a local pharmacy and buys all sorts of things that will humiliate Claire when they do an interview. Once on the air in Claire's trailer, Alicia and Massie start pulling things out of Claire's trash like Pepto-Bismol for bad nerves, Oxycream for a bad zit problem, Listerine for bad breath, Depends for bladder control problems, Rogaine for baldness, Head and Shoulders for dandruff and other products which they themselves put in there before going on the air.

If I were part of this movie or The Daily Grind I would have had these girls removed permanently. This is outright slander and very common in our nation. We hide behind free speech in order to sabotage others. With friends like these girls who needs enemies? Where is the empathy? Concern or respect?

Later in the day, Connor finds Claire crying. Connor wonders where Claire gets her motivation for crying and Claire points to Alicia and Massie stating it is them that is making her cry. So Connor asks Massie to help him cry like Claire and Abby steps up and says that by hanging around Massie he will learn a lot about ruining others lives and crying buckets. Massie states there is never bad press. Claire says there is such a thing as bad friends. Massie twists things and states Claire is a loser and a drama queen.

Finally! FINALLY! Claire stands up to Massie. However, in front of Connor and Abby. Props to Abby for standing up to Massie and Alicia. Of course, Massie excused her behavior with the bad press comment and turned the tables on Claire calling her a loser and a drama queen. This child is manipulative, never takes responsibility and is learning to twist situations and blame. Bullies ALWAYS spin things. Talk to them sometime and listen to them. Do not let them do this to you. Claire does not have the strength to stand up to Massie on her own. Her self-esteem is low and it is showing. Massie and Alicia are jealous but hardly suffer from low self esteem or self worth. If they were, they would not have pulled the stunts they have pulled so far.

Claire learns Alicia and Massie are invited to Connors to swim. Connor uses this as a cover up to hide his relationship with Abby. Claire knows about the secret relationship but withholds the information from the other girls. While at Connors, the paparazzi are hiding in bushes and snap a picture of them in unflattering positions.

Finally! These two girls are getting some come-uppance. Of course, they are angry and feel this should not have been printed. So, it's okay to humiliate Claire live but not them? Classic bullies! Parents, talk to your kids about how what comes around goes around. Also, teach them to have some respect for others! These girls have no concern for anyone else but themselves and its showing!

On set, Claire is in a scene where she is suppose to kiss Connor. She is not doing it because of Cam. This gets her in trouble with the crew and Alicia and Massie are happy. So, Claire kisses him the next time and Abby gets jealous. She tells Claire she is acting like a porn star and the girls all high five each other.

This is not real life but a part in a movie. These girls are horrible to each other. They have no values, understanding of true friendship and down right catty. We have problems developing here such as narcissism, social anxiety and flat out abuse. Get out of these situations and quickly.

Claire asks her assistant to have Massie and Alicia removed from the set. This angers the girls further as they are escorted off the premises by security.

Finally! Those girls should have been escorted off a long time ago. Instead of feeling happy Claire is miserable as she knows she will pay for this later on. Friends should not fear one another. Where are the adults in all of this?

Claire calls Cam later and finds him angry. When Claire kissed Connor, Massie took a picture with her cell phone and sent it to him.

Now we have cyber-bullying in our midst. Again, Claire needs to break away from these girls but does not have the self-esteem to do so. She fears them and fears being deemed a loser at school. This is why she puts up with them and takes their abuse.

At the end, the girls make up and get Connor back. It turns out that he had no interest in Alicia or Massie and they overhear him say so. Massie helps get Claire and Cam back together. A party is held in their honor when they get home from everyone at the school and parents. Also, the girls are admitted back into OCD under the condition that they participate in extra curricular activities. Everyone is happy at this news.

Why are these girls getting a party? Claire should have gotten one as she got the part. These other two? What these girls need is therapy, not rewards! Parents, be aware of your child and what happens with their friends. They are learning social skills at this point and you want them to grow up and be healthy. This environment is NOT healthy! Does anyone see the psychological problems developing here? Claire should probably be shopping around for anti-anxiety medication hoping this will not develop into full blown depression. Massie and Alicia are in need of behavior modification. I am serious here. I know this is just a book. However, it is also a reflection of our society and what is out there today. I talk to parents all the time about their elementary age children being diagnosed with Bi-Polar illness, Social Anxiety, PTSD and other problems. What is creating all of this? Behavior like this! Please, get involved with your children and give them guidance in these areas. If your child is a bully, crawl out of denial and help him or her before it is too late! Lisi has mentioned somewhere that she got the inspiration for these books from adults she worked with. No, not children but adults who should have known better! Thanks for reading.....

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, stories or books. They belong to Lisi Harrison and the folks at Poppy Books. I am using them for educational purposes only.

The Pretty Committee Strikes Back

The students of OCD and Briarwood are going on an overnight field trip to Lake Placid. This is for educational purposes only. Kristen cannot afford to go so she sneaks up instead. A bit of come-uppance comes to the PC in this book.

Massie has decided to have an underground kissing clinic which she calls MUCK (Massie's Underground Clinic for Kissing). This is her way of being the center of attention since Nina has left Westchester and returned to Spain. In Massies eyes they are suppose to idolize her and not Nina. The Friday before they leave for their trip, everyone meets in the OCD Serenity Chapel. This includes The PC, Olivia Ryan (Alicia's friend), Layne Abeley (Claire's friend and the most likable character in this book) and some girls named Livvy, Carrie and Alexandra. These other girls outside of The PC, with the exception of Layne, are thrilled to be part of MUCK.

First off, why does Massie need to always be on top? Why does there even need to be a top? Once again, Massies narcissism is getting the best of her. The best friend anyone could have out of these girls is Layne Abeley. Shes smart, friendly, has a good social conscience, feels good about herself (unlike these other girls) and stands up to Massie. She is not a follower but her own person. If anyone is not an LBR its Layne. As for LBR, according to The PC this means loser beyond repair. We begin to learn of this term and what it means at this point. Girls, please find friends who are similar to Layne. Shes anything but an LBR. Parents, talk to your children about calling other kids losers. Its wrong and the loser behavior belongs to those who even use this terminology.

Massie is charging $20 for the MUCK session. She knows nothing about kissing boys and like most bullies is not only lying but cheating these other girls out of their money. After Massie passes around glossip girl lip gloss, she gives the bad tasting ones to the girls. Alexandra makes a comment about her lip gloss tasting like meat and the guys will want to kiss her after wearing it. Dylan has to make a comment about her being a stray dog.

Massie is learning here how to lie and steal to get what she wants. She has lied about kissing boys as she has no experience. Also, is taking money from these girls. Adult bullies are well versed in this behavior. To the world, this would be considered a scam. As for Dylan, she really needed to keep her mouth shut. These girls do not need to be horrible to one another. Its not cool nor should it be acceptable.

Massie organizes the whole trip for The PC. The girls follow her as usual and not use minds of their own. They are told what they can and cannot wear on their trip.

Once again, these girls will not think for themselves. I hear people complain about the mean girls in women. However, this behavior is acceptable?? Girls, make up your own minds about things and parents, teach them to think for themselves!

Claire's brother Todd has a toy dog named Aibo. He and his friend Tiny Nathan are playing outside with it and Bean, Massie's pug dog hear them in the yard. Massie sets Bean loose to go out in the yard and attack the toy. Claire urged Massie to go down and put a stop to Bean tearing up Todd's dog but Massie was enjoying watching the action in the yard. After the attack Massie calls Bean back inside and she comes bringing the tail of the dog.

Massie's lack of empathy and what we are seeing a lack of conscience is evident here. Why is she enjoying watching her dog tear up a toy that Todd loves? Sure, we can say oh its just a toy but I find this behavior disturbing. Parental intervention is highly needed here. Massie needs to be punished and told to buy Todd a new dog. Not to mention apologize. Claire does have a conscience and plus this was her brother. Yet Massie was not about to stop her fun.

At the campsite, Massie claims the biggest closet for herself. Nobody is arguing with her because they are all too busy catering to her and idolizing her. All except Layne who sees her for what she is. A mean girl and a bully!

Do I even need to say it? Another example of feeding a bully and creating a monster.

Alicia gets even with Claire for kissing Josh at the end of the last book. Claire is upset because Cam is not talking to her.

Again, I am not going to focus on the boy/girl dynamic in this blog. I understand Alicia's anger; its normal in these situations. A girl likes a boy and her friend kisses him. However, revenge is not the answer. Girls, take a few deep breaths and go to your friend and ask what happened. What you see is not always what you get. You do not need to threaten to beat her up or seek revenge. Parents, talk to your kids about talking problems out with each other so they do not go to this level. There is no communication here between anyone (boys included) and as a result, there are a group of miserable kids based on assumptions and not getting the whole story.

Dylan catches her mother kissing her teacher in the cabin. She runs off into the woods and the other four girls follow her. They wind up getting lost in the woods and return to camp 5 hours later. The PC are expelled after this stunt. It was against the rules to take off like they did and they broke a rule. The reactions? Alicia will blame the teachers for losing them and talks lawsuit. Dylan says she is traumatized because she saw her mother and teacher kissing each other. Kristen will sue the school for discrimination against the poor and had to sneak up there. If she had not been discriminated against in the first place, she would not have had to lie to her parents and go up there on her own. As for the other students? They are really upset that The PC is being expelled and plan to fight the school on this decision.

Finally! It is about time these girls are held accountable for their actions! The rules did state that they were not allowed to go into the woods and expulsion would be the result. They broke the rule and are not treated like the crown princesses they have always been treated like. Do you see the result? One threatens a lawsuit. Alicia would not win in a court of law because the rules were outlined. Our courts today are too caught up in trivia like this and real cases needing to be heard are backlogged. Dylan was not traumatized; she was upset and that I can understand. Nobody wants a parent with their teacher as its uncomfortable for them. But traumatized? Give me a break! As for Kristen, well, it was not discrimination as the school had to do what they had to do. Maybe they could have done something for scholarship students but it was not their decision to do this. Plus, this was not a mandatory trip. As for the students being upset, they should be glad they can finally breathe and go to school, be individuals and exist in a healthy environment for a change! All they are doing is creating bigger monsters in these girls. Stop feeding them! Please! Why do you think these girls are so mean to begin with? Its power and by getting upset because they were punished accordingly just gives more power to them to be mean and hurtful to others.

Thanks for reading and will be back next week with the next two installments.

Take Care,
Elizabeth

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and am just using them for educational purposes only. They belong to Lisi Harrison and Poppy Books.

Revenge of the Wannabes

Alicia is at dance class. Olivia also attends along with Meredith and Catherine. Alicia is by far the best dancer in the class and she relishes the fact that Massie does not attend dance class. This is because for once, people will think she is great and its not all about Massie and being in her shadow. The girls encourage Alicia to host a sleepover the next night and not go to Massie's scheduled one. Also, that they see Alicia as a leader which she appreciates hearing. Unfortunately, these girls also "worship" Massie from afar which gets to Alicia. Lets not forget that Alicia and Olivia cheated on the wardrobe contest in the previous book. She did this because she was tired of Massie always winning everything.

Alicia probably is a leader by nature. However, her talents are not developed here because she is always in Massie's shadow. This can prevent problems for Alicia socially. It already is starting to as she switched these boxes at the contest. She is learning here that her gifts are not as needed and developing a competitive and sneaky nature. If Alicia were an adult, I would see her as a competitive embezzler. As we see, Alicia is involved in activities away from Massie which is good. The PC spends far too much time together as it is and giving Massie a lot of power she does not need. Parents or other adults, talk to your children about the importance of having more than one friend or set of friends. Also, what is wrong with her having a sleepover with another set of friends? This should not be stressing her out at all but because of Massie and her power it is. The "worship" of Massie is only creating a monster. These girls need to stop giving this child so much power!

Alicia is stressed to go to school the next day. She has to see Massie and find a way around the sleepover situation. She skips carpool that morning with the excuse of going to see the Dr. Plus, this is the day she and Olivia are to go to their shoot with Teen Vogue.

This should not have Alicia so upset. She is terrified to go to school because of the sleepover situation. There is nothing wrong whatsoever with Alicia having other friends spend the night. As you see, these girls are learning they cannot be honest with one another and Alicia is limiting herself. Her leadership skills need to be encouraged and in a healthy manner.

At school Alicia sees Massie and has not told her about the sleepover situation. Olivia bounces up to the girls and says something instead. This enrages Massie and she is upset that anyone other than the PC thinks they are coming to her sleepover. Alicia tries to explain and lies that one of the girls wants a makeover. Also, the PC is welcome to come too. Instead of being a reasonable human being, Massie goes off into a tirade. She accuses Alicia of trying to steal her identity. If that is not enough, she calls her more fake than Olivia's nose job and that Alicia is fake Spanish meaning "Fannish" because her father is from Brooklyn and not Barcelona. She finally tops this off with calling Alicia an EW meaning eternal wannabe. Dylan and Kristen have gone to get Massies latte at this point and return to find these girls in this situation. Massie lets Alicia know she will NEVER be her and stomps off with Dylan and Kristen following her.

Oh dear, looks as if Massie needs anger management and if I were her parents, I would see to it that she enroll in some classes. All Alicia did was say she wanted to host a sleepover. Does anyone here see the control Massie has over these girls? They are terrified of her. Why are they not thinking for themselves here? Massie was in the wrong here and not Alicia. Plus, she owed Olivia an apology for her remark about her nose. Massie has no respect for anyone and is developing some serious psychological issues and these other girls are learning that they cannot think for themselves. To settle for being pushed around by others. Alicia was not in the wrong here, Massie was.

Alicia and Olivia go to the Teen Vogue shoot. Alicia is constantly criticizing Olivia on what she is saying, how she is acting etc. It is like Olivia cannot think for herself. They are on the streets of NYC and Olivia finds some knockoff Louis Vutton scarfs for $10 each.

Alicia is learning she can control Olivia and tries to do so. Yes, Alicia is also a leader but a bad one. Personally, I would not want a Louis Vutton knockoff but I am pushing 42, not 13. However, it is Olivia's money and she has a right to purchase what she wants. Right here Alicia is learning she can control others and Olivia is learning that by behaving a "certain way" is the only way she will be accepted by others. Someone needs to talk to Alicia about being a good leader and a good leader does not constantly put others down or tell them how to spend their money.

Massie develops a scheme to get back at Alicia for switching the voting boxes at the wardrobe contest. This time she turns to Claire for help. Alicia had called Massie ahead of time and bragged about being models for the Christmas edition for Teen Vogue. At the agency, Alicia was told she could invite friends to be a part of the shoot with her. So, Massie and Claire call the agency pretending to be Alicia and that they will send the photos right over. The photos are of Claire and the PC of course. Claire is tickled to be helping Massie out.

I understand Massie being angry with Alicia because Alicia did cheat. However, this is not the way to go about it. Parental involvement is in need here. Once again, these girls are learning revenge is the only way and its the worst way to handle any problems. Massie and Claire are also cheating here. Not only Alicia but also Teen Vogue. What did the agency do to deserve this? As for Claire, once again is thrilled to be "used" by Massie. Claire is learning that with friends, you settle for what you can and that should never be the case.

Alicia has dubbed Olivia "Faux Olivia" because she purchased the knockoff scarfs.

Once again, Olivia is letting Alicia treat her any way she wishes without any respect or regard for others. Like Claire, she is settling and her self worth is suffering as a result.

Massie and the PC along with Claire (or Kuh-laire as they call her) decide to set up GLU (Girls Like Us) Headquarters in a barn on Massie's property that her family is turning into a at home spa and gym. The girls have decided it is time for Alicia to pay for cheating at the contest. In GLU Headquarters, they set up photos of Alicia and the proof being a purple blob representing the thimble Massie used to vote. Also, put up a picture of Alicia sitting alone on a sleeping bag. Next, a photo of Massie's State of the Union Blog stating Claire is now in Alicia is out. This is punishment for trying to host her own sleepover. When Alicia arrives, the girls show her all of this and Alicia is heartbroken. Also, for Alicia to stop wearing ugly boots that are not from Spain. Not only punishment for the sleepover but for cheating on the contest. Most importantly, Alicia is now out of the PC. When she goes outside and is crying (the others are laughing while she is crying) she encounters Claire's brother Todd and his friend Tiny Nathan. Todd remembered how Massie treated Claire and Tiny Nathan said they behaved as they do because of fear.

Tiny Nathan is probably the smartest one in all of this. He nailed it when he said these girls behaved as they do towards Massie out of fear. These girls are lacking empathy here (or hiding their guilt because of Massie) and Massies lack of it is evident. It is important to talk to girls about not giving power to a bully and to stand together against fear in these situations. These other girls hold the cards here as they can take that power away from Massie yet they are choosing not to. As for Alicia? She is learning that doing something normal like hosting a sleepover is punishable and once again, her leaderships skills are swept under the rug. Alicia is crushed and to a 12-year-old, this is the worst thing that can happen to them. This stuff is what breeds insecurity in girls. As for Claire, she is only selling her soul here to a bully that really has no concern for her. Sure, she remembers being the target but fears doing the right thing.

Now that Alicia is out of the PC, she decides to form a clique of her own. She brings on Olivia as her "beta" while she is the "alpha". Also, she brings along two other girls named Kori and Strawberry. These girls resemble the other ones in the PC in looks and behavior.

Alicia has moved on and found other friends and that is good. It means she is not going to wallow and allow any depression or PTSD creep up. However, it is strange that she is bringing in friends who resemble her old PC friends. That is showing that she still misses the other girls. There is not a girl that resembles Massie. Right here, it shows that Alicia is trying to stand on her own without Massie or is trying to replace herself as Massie. She needs to be developing her own personality, not Massie's. As for being an alpha, again, this shows she is a leader and Olivia sees her as one. It is evident that Alicia is a leader but her skills are not developed and that is sad.

Alicia has used Todd, Claire's brother, to spy on Massie and the PC to get their secrets. She tries to blackmail Dylan and Kristen into following her and gives them a Louis Vutton knockoff that belong to Olivia. We also learn that Massie likes Cam and Claire has liked Cam but because Massie likes him then she is not allowed to do so.

Now Alicia resorts to blackmail to make friends. As for Claire, if she wants to like Cam then she should. Besides, Cam likes her back. Massie needs to move on and find someone else. These girls are once again resorting to unhealthy means to get their needs met. Alicia's need to lead, Claire's need to have a boyfriend. Dylan and Kristen's need to have friends. Where is the care? Concern? Empathy? Why does Alicia even want friends who do not want to be friends back? Claire sacrifice her own feelings because of Massie? What are these girls learning here? Certainly nothing healthy that's for sure. A lot of using and abusing here. The end results are disastrous. One thing I was told at this age was that a friend was supportive and liked me for who I was. I am seeing none of this here.

The Christmas shoot is being held and the PC, Alicia, Olivia, Kori and Strawberry are there. It turns into a disaster and Alicia is tired from trying to be an "alpha" to her friends. Massie steals a dress that Alicia plans to wear. Alicia starts to miss her "beta" days to Massie's "alpha".

Okay, Alicia is a leader and not a babysitter. She does not need to run around like she is keeping up with them. This is not leadership but control. She cannot control what others do and say. Once again, her leadership skills are suffering. She has potential to be a leader but is learning to be a bad instead of good one.

Alicia winds up apologizing to Massie while Massie does not. Bullies never apologize, remember? Massie gives her conditions. The first is that Claire is the only new PC member. Alicia is allowed to be friends with Olivia but not to bring her into the PC or try to. Also, she has to sever her friendships with Kori and Strawberry.

Once again, no empathy involved. Alicia has learned that not only are her mistakes her responsibility but so are Massie's. Also, that she can have friends that have to be approved by Massie. Why can't Massie be friends with Olivia? Is she hard to control? What about Kori and Strawberry? How does this make them feel? Has anyone considered anyone else's feelings here? The abuse just keeps filtering down amongst these girls.

Adults, do you see the social dysfunction here? Do you want your daughters or charges to grow up with problems because of this? Please, talk to them about these things. Let them know that they are acceptable by just being themselves and not to try to impress someone who has no interest in them or their well being at all. Encourage the gifts they do have and not to settle for people abusing them. If your child is a Queen Bee, for her own mental health, do something about it. You are not helping but hindering her.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from The Clique series or the series for that matter. These belong to Lisi Harrison and the gang at Poppy Books.

The Clique

This is the first book of The Clique series. Basically, this is about Claire who is new to Westchester. Her family arrives from Orlando, Florida to Westchester and we learn that Claire and Massie's fathers are old friends from college. Massie and her friends abuse Claire in this book and treat her horribly. We also learn that Massie is the Queen Bee of their school Octavian Country Day (OCD) where Claire is a new student. Massie and her friends, The Pretty Committee, do not make Claire feel welcome and do things such as get red paint on the back of her white pants and dump food on her. Plus, when Massie is not around they are nice to Claire but mean when Massie is around. Claire also behaves badly as she pretends to be Massie on IM and this leads to The PC getting mad at Massie. Here are examples in the book which are abusive. I am well aware that Massie and her friends are insecure. However, this is not the way to handle these problems. We are an insecure society so these girls being insecure is not uncommon. What people are not realizing is that it is behavior such as this that breeds insecurity in tween girls.

Once Claire arrives in Westchester, Massie lets her know that she needs to find her own friends and forget about knowing hers.

This right here is an introduction of Massie being a bully. She clearly lacks empathy for Claire and her situation being in a new place. Also, this is the first person Claire meets from Westchester. What a way to welcome someone!

On the way to school on the first day, Massie directs Claire to the back seat of the car while she and her friends sit up front. After picking up Dylan, Alicia and Kristen, we see Kristen ask who that is in the back and if they like her. Massie replies that they do not like her.

Okay, is it me or is Massie doing all of the thinking for this crew of girls? Why do they not like her? She does not dress like they do? Act as they do? They do not even know this girl yet have formed an opinion. Sure, we can say that is normal for tween girls. You know why it is so called normal? Because as a society we allow this behavior to continue! Adults, teach these kids to think for themselves and teach them to respect others! Talk to them about how in this nation we have the freedom of opinion. All they are doing is giving Massie power and that is power she does not need. This is the stuff that builds spoiled brats and monsters in people. Also, it is important to understand that people are different. Bullies want everyone to conform and be like them. Talk to your children about being themselves! They will be much happier if they do.

At school, the girls walk ahead of Claire and show contempt towards her. Claire tries to come up to them and walk with them but they are having none of this. Massie turns to Claire and asks her if she has invited her to a BBQ. Claire says no and Massie asks her why she is all up in her grill. This gives off a round of high fives and Claire says to Massie that she is acting like a bitch.

First off, Massie is acting like a bitch! Claire has done nothing to these girls except try and be nice. However, because Massie does not like her then they don't like her so they have to let Massie think for them. I do not think the word bitch is apropos but at least she stood up to her. Claire should have gotten away from these girls from the minute she met them. Also, at this point, before things escalate, an adult should start to intervene. Bullied kids are terrified of adults or anyone finding out what is going on. At the same time, this is not stuff that kids need to be handling on their own. It leads to much bigger problems down the line. Please, talk to your children about reporting this behavior. Its abusive and wrong and in the end, you are doing both the kids and adults a favor.

As Claire called her a bitch, she is now in trouble with Massie and The PC. So, Massie texts and gets Alicia and Kristen to do her dirty work for her since Queen Bees never get their own hands dirty. When Claire goes to her first class which is an art class, she is found to be sitting beside Alicia. Alicia tries to be nice which Claire, in a vulnerable position being new takes as friendship. However, Alicia sets up red paint where it spills on the back of Claire's new white pants. If that is not bad enough, they get Claire lost on purpose to the nurses office.

First off, Claire has no idea what is going on. Why can't Massie handle her own problems instead of dragging her friends into them and do her dirty work? This is how Queen Bees operate! They get their little workers to do everything for them.

Massie's mother insists that she invite Claire to the weekly Friday sleepover that The PC has. At the sleepover, the girls set up sleeping bags leaving Claire out on purpose. They insult her on purpose and ask her if she would rather be a friendless loser or a loser who has friends that secretly hate her. Claire chooses the former and the girls say she has her wish. It gets to be too much for Claire and she just leaves.

This behavior is starting to get to Claire and it shows. Massies mother needs to get more involved with her daughter and get her in therapy. Yes, I am serious. Anyone who has this sort of power and uses it to abuse others is in need of some psychological help. She is 12-years-old so there is still time to get hold of these problems so they do not develop into personality disorders by adulthood. Also, Claire needs to be alerting her mother to this. Parents, if your child is behaving like this then punish them and make it stick. These girls should have been sent home and not allowed to continue with their sleepover.

Massie has a crush on Chris Abeley who is the brother of Layne Abeley. Layne is the first friend Claire has made. Massie uses Layne to get close to Chris.

I am glad Claire has found a friend. However, Massie has to come between that and use Layne to get to Chris. Like a typical bully she is using others to get what she wants.

Massie's friends are at the pool at the Block estate waiting for Massie to come home so they can work on the Glamazon project for Kristen's class. As the three girls and Claire are there, they all start listening to music and playing in the water. They are actually having a great time together. Then Massie shows up and criticizes the music, reminds them they hate Claire and the girls go back to being nasty to her. Then they take food that has been set out and dump it on Claire.

Again, Massie is in full control and the girls are giving it to her. These girls are learning to feed monsters and as adults, will probably start their own reality show called The Housewives of Westchester. Instead of feeding Massie, they need to tell her what they really think. Parents, talk to you children about the dangers in feeding these Queen Bees. Please be aware of your children and who their friends are. If your child is a Queen Bee, please get her in therapy. Yes, Massie is insecure but this is not the way to handle insecurities. It is important to teach children to work out their own problems. However, this is something that needs adult intervention. Listen, Queen Bees eventually fall. They loose their power in new places all the time. This can be detrimental to a Queen and she is not learning the reality of life. She is destructive and destroys those around her. Claire does not deserve any of this.

Claire has had enough. Massie takes her dog for walks each night at a specific time. Claire learns this and starts sneaking into Massie's room at that time each night and talks to her three friends on IM using Massie's moniker. Pretending to be Massie she tells them offensive things and this winds up getting these friends angry with Massie. One thing she learned is that Kristen is not really rich but is at the school on scholarship. Bullies are horrible to their friends but even they know how far they can manipulate and go with them. So Claire is now in and Massie is out. Eventually, they learn that Claire was on the IM instead of Massie and The PC once again turns on Claire.

This is classic in those who are being abused by their peers. They try and find a way to make it stop so they take action. What Claire did was just as bad and she should have been punished. Do you see how far this problem has gone? Now there are five girls who have been hurt. They are not learning to trust one another but to secretly harbor some resentment towards one another. The words are out there. They cannot be taken back. Yes, Claire finally told her mother what was going on but begged her not to tell any other parents. Again, bad move. Plus, this is adding more reasons to be insecure.

The school is on a field trip and The PC, who hurdle insults at everyone else and bask in being "adored" decides to use this opportunity to sell Kristen's lip gloss for the Glamazon Project. When everyone purchases the gloss, their lips swell. Claire's friend Layne has a thermos of oatmeal and it is used on every ones lips. They save the day and The PC look like idiots and this angers them. Kristen thanked Claire for keeping her secret about being a scholarship student and was glad it was not Massie that she told after all.

Finally, we learn that Kristen does have an opinion about something! By telling Claire that, we sense that she was terrified of Massie knowing her secret. Parents, this is what you need to be telling your children to do. Talk to them about the danger of giving a bully power and how together, they can break the bully. Kristen of course could not tell Claire this in front of Massie but at least she learned Claire could be trusted.

A charity party for scholarship students is being held at Massie's home. At the party, she and Claire wind up talking and being civil to one another.

At least they have buried the hatchett for now.

After all of this, Claire still wants to be friends with these girls.

Folks, these girls are not special so stop behaving as if they are! Parents, talk to your kids about not giving a bully power. Please, talk to them about how Queen Bees can eventually fall and that by catering to them, they are only creating a monster. Parental involvement was desperately needed here. Also, if your child is a leader like Massie is, please talk to them about being a good leader and using this to do good and not misuse any power people are giving them. As for giving anyone power, stop doing it. Our society has a serious mental health problem here and instead of burying our heads in the sand, we need to step up. Bullies do not outgrow this and this is why we have prisons that are overflowing and added stress from work and other places.

Disclaimer: I do not own these books or any rights to them. They belong to Lisi Harrison and the people at Poppy Books. I am just using this as an educational tool on Peer Abuse. Thank you!

Time to meet the Pretty Committee!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Clique series. This belongs to Lisi Harrison and her peeps over at The Clique . Also, these books and movie are a part of the Poppy Series books. I am just using this information as an educational tool only.

Yes, its time to meet The Clique girls who have also deemed themselves "The Pretty Committee." These are five of the best and brightest at Octavian Day Country School and they know it.

Massie Block: She is without a doubt the ruler of The Clique and pretty much the rest of the social scene at OCD. With her brown bob and perfect white teeth she commands respect and an audience and sadly, she gets it from her peers. She is aware of all of this and knows everyone else would give their eye teeth to be her. Also, a self obsessed, spoiled girl who does not have low self esteem (IMO) but very much loves herself as everyone loves her.

Alicia Rivera: A beautiful yet sneaky child. Adults ah-dore her and usually flies under the radar when it comes to any problems because she knows how to charm any adult. She is an only child of a former Spanish model and father out of Brooklyn (or according to her Barcelona). She is proud of her Spanish heritage. She cannot stand to be called "Fannish" which is fake Spanish.

Dylan Marvill: Child of Marilee Marvill who hosts a national talk show straight out of New York City. She is a child that needs to watch her weight and diets regularly. Or, as the book says she spends her time sucking up to Massie and sucking down diet shakes.

Kristen Gregory: A smart, athletic and hardworking girl who can insult someone and quickly. She pretends to live at an exclusive apartment building in Westchester but actually lives in another building as her parents are poor. Her father was once a wealthy artist and lost all of his money. Kristen is also a scholarship student but nobody except her friends know that.

Claire Lyons: She just moved to Westchester from Orlando, Florida. Her father and Massies are old college friends. She, her little brother Todd and parents live in the guesthouse on the Block grounds until finding their own home. She arrives in Keds shoes and Gap overalls which are not "clique material." At first the group abuses her but she eventually gets accepted by the group.

The Clique....the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

The Clique

Hi, I am Elizabeth Bennett, an expert in the field of Bullying. However, I tend to use the term Peer Abuse because I want to keep it real. Bullying is a form of abuse IMO and I wish people would start seeing it that way. So, as I have introduced myself, I want to move forward here....the reason for being here and starting this blog.

I am sure by now everyone has heard of The Clique. This is a series of books written by Lisi Harrison. These books are hot right now amongst the tween and teen girls in America today. A movie has also been made based upon these books. The series revolves around five wealthy 12-year-old girls in Westchester, New York. They are pretty, socially sophisticated and obsessed with clothes, weight, technology and are the mean girls of their school Octavian Country Day. We will meet (or in some cases get reacquainted) with these young ladies soon. For now, I want to explain the reason for this blog and why I am doing it.

First off, this is no slam on Lisi Harrison. Lets get that established immediately. I do not know this woman, have never met her but only seen photos of her with her books. If I do not know someone then I have no reason to form an opinion of them. I do know Lisi is a good writer and has managed to reach a lot of young girls with her books. She uses a lot of quirky language and I sense she has a sarcastic side. She has stated that she uses these books to show others how ridiculous this behavior in girls is. Maybe read and allow the reader to fantasize about having the "whole package" and an ah-mazing life. There is nothing wrong with fantasy, we all have done it in our lives. Her reasons behind the series are innocent enough and her intentions I believe are good. I do not think she is trying to turn Americas tween girls into groups trying to go for world domination in their own friendships. I believe she is trying to get the reader to see at the end of the day how these things are not important and to help the reader move away from this behavior if they deal with it in their own lives. So Lisi, do know that this blog is in no way to trash you or your work. I am always glad people are out there trying to reach others in one way or another. So, with that, I want to explain the reason for this blog.

As an expert in the field of Bullying, I travel across America to speak to kids about this and the dangers of it. I get emails from parents that their teen girl is suffering from being abused by her friends or being excluded from a group of girls. On Twitter and Facebook, I talk to folks daily. Technorati and Blogger News are a couple of my stomping grounds online along with my blog on this site. This problem is a huge one in our society and one that needs addressing more than it is. After the death of Phoebe Prince back in January, I thought long and hard about finding a way to reach girls online and point out examples of what Bullying is. As I have read some of these books, I have found the problem of Relational Aggression amongst this group of young characters. Phoebe experienced a great deal of this at her school and it led her to take her own life through bullycide. The characters in the book do not go this far, however, they experience a lot of humiliation and torment just as Phoebe did. Again, I know Lisi's intention in writing these books is not to add to the bullying problem we have. I think she is trying to show the reader that because this behavior is ridiculous then its not cool or acceptable. I agree; this behavior is not cool and should never be acceptable. Yet, we continue to enable it in our culture. So, this summer, I have decided to read all of the books in The Clique series and blog about the parts of the book where Relational Aggression occurs. Maybe I can help the reader see where these behaviors occur in the book so the next time they read them, they will understand that this "mean girls" stuff is full on abuse and not a way to be rewarded. Many times girls will try to be accepted by these mean girls and without trying to, they give them a lot of useless power. Its based on fear more than anything. However, they do not need to be afraid. Being accepted by mean girls makes these problems worse and not better. Its important to understand that.

Again, its nice to meet you. I hope you will join me in this journey and most importantly I hope you as the reader will gain some knowledge on this serious issue. Thank you for reading.....