The Clique (Clique Series #1) »

Lisi Harrison was the Senior Director of Production Development at MTV, and was responsible for creating and developing original programming for air on MTV. She also served as Head Writer for MTV Production and before that had her own column in Jane Magazine.

Lisi lives in Laguna Beach, California, and is currently working on her next Clique novel coming in February 2011, as well as her second novel in the Clique spin-off series, Alphas, coming April 2010.

Meet The Clique...

Massie Block: With her glossy hair and laser-whitened smile, Massie is the uncontested ruler of the Clique and the social scene at Octavian Country Day School, an exclusive private girls' school in Westchester County, New York. Massie knows you'd give anything to be just like her.

Dylan Marvil: Massie's second in command who divides her time between sucking up to Massie and sucking down Atkins Diet shakes.

Alicia Rivera: As sneaky as she is beautiful, Alicia would love to take Massie's throne one day. Just might.

Kristen Gregory: She's smart, hardworking, and will insult you to tears faster than you can say "my haircut isn't ugly!"

Enter Claire Lyons, the new girl from Florida in Keds and two-year-old Gap overalls, who is clearly not Clique material. Unfortunately for her, Claire's family is staying in the guesthouse on Massie's family's huge estate while they look for a new home. Claire's future looks worse than a bad Prada knockoff. But with a little luck and a lot of scheming, Claire might just come up smelling like Chanel No. 19....

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

Publishers Weekly

Middle schoolers who have participated in the "popularity game" may be drawn to this series opener by a first-time author, which takes cliquish, snobbish behavior to Hollywood extremes. Massie Block, whom readers will love to hate, is rich, conniving and the uncontested leader of the "A-list" group of seventh graders at an exclusive private girls' school in New York's affluent Westchester County. When Mr. Block's unemployed college friend moves his family into the Blocks' guest house, Mrs. Block pushes Massie to befriend their daughter, Claire, who is the same age but dresses "like one of the cast members from Barney and Friends"; Massie predictably rebels. She wastes no opportunity to let Claire know there is no room for her in the in-crowd; Claire, however, decides to fight back. What follows is a rigorous battle of wills between the girls involving backbiting, scheming and carrying out nasty pranks. With an arsenal stocked with designer clothing and cosmetics, fancy cell phones and "mani/pedi" appointments, Massie and her friends publicly humiliate Claire time after time, and Claire, slowly but surely, figures out a way to turn Massie's friends against her. Readers who are initially amused may find that the successive acts of one-upmanship result in a one-note read-while Massie and Claire experience a moment or two of camaraderie, they stay pretty superficial, unchanged by their victories and defeats. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.