Confessions of a High School Disaster

Gr 9 Up—Chloe Snow wants nothing more than to be kissed by New Year's Eve. She is a typical high school freshman, ready to take on the challenges of leaving middle school behind, and her dad is predictably embarrassing. Her mom, however, is another story: she has recently left for Mexico in order to concentrate on herself and her writing. At the pool, right before school starts, Chloe catches the eye of the school bad boy—never mind that he already has a girlfriend. But when she gets cast in the leading role of the school's musical, instead of the most popular girl, the drama really begins. Writing in a diary format, Chastain captures a spot-on teen voice that would feel at home in an updated version of the film Mean Girls. Underlying the humor and angst of high school life, though, are Chloe's ache for her mother and her confusion and anger about her parents' relationship. Readers will hope for the heroine's continued adventures in future volumes.