Sicilee and Maya have been rivals since elementary school. Now in high school, they dislike each other more than ever. Sicilee is the center of the most popular group at Clifton Springs, and Maya is the heart of the hip, trendy set. And neither of them is likely to notice Waneeda, who prefers to eat candy and work as little as possible. None of these girls has a thing in common until Cody Lightfoot, the most drop-dead gorgeous boy imaginable, joins the student body, causing every girl’s head to turn. But all Cody seems to care about is the Environmental Club, which has the distinction of being the most unpopular club in the history of the school. Nerdy club or not, none of the three girls can let the other be the first to get a date with Cody. But how far are they prepared to go? Will Waneeda actually join a club? Will Sicilee start reading labels rather than wearing them? Will Maya take up riding her bike to school and eating tofu?
With her trademark quick-fire wit, Dyan Sheldon shows just what girls will do for love—and what earth-changing realizations they might have along the way, despite themselves.
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"At first glance, the cover of this book might fool you into taking it lightly. Then again, the more I look at it, the more I see some of the symbolism and the connections to the book's theme of empowerment and becoming environmentally conscious. To tell the truth, I ended up liking this one more than I had expected to. The premise behind the story is that three girls, all quite different, have a crush on the new boy at their high school in Clifton Springs. While two of them, Maya and Sicilee, have been rivals throughout school and are determined to be the one that Cody Lightfoot notices amd will go to any lengths to make that happen, the other one, Waneeda can only dream of basking in his reflected wonder. Because he's into the green movement, they join the Environmental Club, a decidedly unpopular group before his arrival. When I first started reading the book, I figured that Sicilee and Maya would end up cancelling each other out with all their efforts since really they are competing more to win than to get the guy, and that improbably but satisfyingly, Waneeda would discard her candy bars and her malaise, and somehow, she and Cody would cycle off into the sunset. It COULD have happened, after all, and I would have felt satisfied. But the author doesn't take that path; instead, when all the smoke from the battle for Cody has cleared, no one gets the boy, and it turns out that he really only has eyes for himself. From the book's first pages, I loved the author's voice. Clearly, she's spent time in the halls of today's high schools and has identified the social pecking order that exists within those halls. But part of what makes this title so fresh and appealing is that she deviates from the expected path. While the girls' initial interest in Cody may have led them to the environmental movement, all three are responsible for the changes they make in their lives. Uber-consumer Sicilee ends up shopping at a thrift store and walking to school. Maya wears plastic bottles in an attempt to educate passersby about the long life of plastic. Waneeda plants a garden. All three change for the better, and while their friends aren't exactly supportive, in the end, they understand those changes. The changes in the girls are subtle, happening almost before they realize that they are changing, and are often described in such amusing fashion. For instance, when Sicilee heads off to the mall with her friends, she can't stop herself from reading the labels of the make-up being considered, and wondering about its ingredients. If there's a lot happening in the book and the ending seems a bit too good to be true, the author still takes readers on a delightful journey, informing us along the way. Her acknowledgment provides books, documentaries, and websites to inform those interested in the issues raised in the book."
— Barbara (4 out of 5 stars)
" Alough it took me a thrid of the book to get used to the characters, i enjoyed it. :) "
— Katy, 2/20/2014" great book, i finished it in two days. shows how you can misjudge someone "
— Sunshine, 2/9/2014" Too funny, or should i say it is just what a girl will do to get love. "
— Su, 1/27/2014" i love this book!! i want the to be like 30 books of it!!!! "
— Hadley, 1/25/2014" different kind of story - talks about high school girls and they learn some lessons - but really about the environment. "
— Pam, 1/10/2014" it was fine, I guess. People I didn't like in the beginning became my favorite characters and the ones I liked at first ended up being not what i was expecting "
— Stray, 1/8/2014" This book was okay, but kind of boring. It wasn't very exciting and it was kind of confusing at the beginning. I guess it just wansn't my style. "
— Anna, 1/7/2014" Entertaining enough. Taught me a bit more about being environmentally friendly. "
— Wendy, 12/15/2013" i love the book..at has so many good expresions "
— Nomsa, 12/6/2013" Very good way of saying people can change you, but don't change for a boy. "
— Avvie, 8/18/2013" Good book. A little gooey and crazy, but a good book "
— Marina, 5/16/2013" Cody is a sleaze just putting it out there. I liked Clemens from the start. I'm happy that it ended how it did, Cody got what he deserved, well who would be better!! "
— Stephi, 5/7/2013" OMG please stop saying "Sweet Mother of Mary!" and "Gott in Himmel". Who the hell says "Gott in Himmel" anyway? "
— Danielle, 10/20/2012" Absolutely touched my heart. i might become one of those Eco friendly beings...... maybe. "
— Hachton, 10/18/2012" good points of view but conatantly expecting to go somewhere exciting or unexpected and it doesn't "
— Lucyjuice, 9/12/2012" what can i say it was a big disapointment it was just to simple and it never got to the point and at times got a bit far fetched "
— Abigail, 7/26/2012" This is an easy, young adult book that was nice to read after a few "heavier" reads. I flew through it, enjoyed the characters, and smiled often while reading, especially with the nice, happy ending. "
— Melissa, 12/9/2011Dyan Sheldon is the author of many novels for young adult readers, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which was made into a major motion picture. American by birth, she lives in London.
Kate Rudd, actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared in several independent films and shorts, as well as in multiple episodes of the television show Perks. As an audiobook narrator she has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration.