Nicole Andelfinger

I never read the original series this is adapting, so no nostalgia to fog up my vision. I liked the artwork a lot. It's snazzy and the girl's wardrobe is cute. Nice to see a message admonishing it's okay for twins to differ and separate their interests. I thought that part was nicely done and had some heart. Jessica was just as vapid and terrible at the Unicorn girls, so it lowers the reading enjoyment. She belonged right within that crew.

SN: I wished the story said their names more. because even after the wardrobe change, i would forget which twin was who until they referenced something specifically involving the other twin.… (more)

Recommended Ages: Gr.

Plot Summary: Jessica and Elizabeth are twins who have been best friends and dressing identically for their whole lives. When they are in middle school, one twin wants to join the popular crowd and the other wants to start a newspaper club. To get into the popular group, she must complete a series of challenges: dress differently than her sister (which she does without warning, ouch!), move her teachers notebook from the desk to the teachers bag, and switch the coffee in the the teacher's lounge to soda. She gets in to the Unicorns, much to the dismay of her twin. Trying to be nice and keep the twins together, the new Unicorn convinces the group to let her sister in, which they agree to if she completes a challenge: switch the whipped cream for shaving cream for a classmate. There's no way that's happening, right?

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Recurring Themes: popularity, bullying, twins, family, friendship, being who you are, confidence, differences, ballet

Controversial Issues:
bullying without consequences

Personal Thoughts: I was not happy to see this representation of bullying without the characters every facing the consequences of their horrible actions or without it being labeled as bullying. I also didn't like that the only character that was not slender was the girl being bullied. I think this story is outdated and has not held the test of time. To get into the popular group, a kid needs to be invited and they have to complete challenges that hurt and/or confuse others.

Genre: realistic fiction, graphic novel

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The story really has middle-school and sister drama down to a tee. Jessica was downright ANNOYING throughout this story to the point it's a lot hard to read.. Major hater energy, but she's also vindicated.

To be honest, there was a lot of gaslighting with Jessica because kids know when they're being overlooked. I thought the story may have delved into when teachers have animosity against you. But regardless, I thought this was good and the artwork elevates it.

About Madam André... now, the jury's still out on madam André. was she really that overwhelmed she didn't have time to pour into each student individually? or, did she have a vendetta against jessica?… (more)