by Alicia Rudnicki, Library Mix

Click Here (to find out how I survived seventh grade), by Denise Vega, 2005,
ISBN 0-316-05899-8

It is the beginning of Erin Penelope Swift’s first year in middle school, and she is scared of the social challenges to come. In short, she isn’t feeling too swift.

Erin’s feet are way too big and present a great opportunity for teasing. Her body is straight as a yardstick and holds no promise of curves. Her best friend, the beautiful, theatrical Jilly, has been assigned to another “track” and only sees her before school and at lunch. Her worst elementary school enemy, Serena, is on her track and out to get her.

Finally, Mark (also known as “Cute Boy” in Erin’s private blog) is friendly, but doesn’t seem to think of her as “Cute Girl.” She is just one of his best friends in the computer club and on the basketball court.

 Welcome to Molly Brown Middle School. Welcome to Erin’s “Year of Humiliating Events.” Welcome to Denise Vega’s truly funny tween novel Click Here (to find out how i survived seventh grade).

Click Here won the 2005 Colorado Book Award for young adult fiction. Vega notes that it was the sixth novel she wrote and the first to get published. Four years later, she won the Colorado Book Award again for another teen novel, Fact of Life #31. This year, Vega’s vibrant picture book, Grandmother, Have the Angels Come, has been nominated for a Colorado Book Award for children’s literature.

In Click Here, 12-year-old Erin is confused about a lot of things. Does she really not have a mind of her own as Serena Worthington (a.k.a. Serena Poopendena) implies by calling her a “puppet?” Is it true that she always lets Jilly dress her and tell her what choices to make? Will she be kicked out of school for popping Serena Poopendena in the nose? Is Jilly really blind to Erin’s crush on cute Mark? Doesn’t Mark see that it is torture for her to discuss Jilly while shooting hoops one-on-one with him?

The messier her life gets, the funnier Erin’s story becomes. Fortunately, she befriends the philosophical school custodian, Mr. Foslowski, who advises her not to be too sad about not having a boyfriend.

“Friends are like a good Tootsie Pop,” Mr. Foslowski. “They last longer.” Mr. F encourages Erin to reach for a cherry Tootsie Pop whenever life gets tough.

 Like a Tootsie Pop, Vega’s novel is sweet and gives readers plenty to chew on. Readers who have just entered their teen years will likely also enjoy the novel’s sequel, Access Denied (and other eighth grade error messages), which is more bittersweet than sugary.