R U 4 Real? (TodaysGirls.com #4) (Repack)

Meet Maya.

Maya pushes the perfect appearance . . . until it perfectly pushes her to the edge. She's trying to organize a fashion show. She bought the dresses, and they can't be exchanged. Now, she can't believe her friends are going to the lake house without her. They only have a week to squeeze into their designer dresses-and she knows they're all gonna just pig out the whole time. She'll be the only one left with a waistline.

Gr 4-6-Formulaic and quickly forgettable series fiction. Maya is obsessed with appearances-hair, makeup, clothes, and weight. Having decided to have a back-to-school fashion show, she is busy trying to whip her friends into shape for it and to obtain some stylish clothes for them to model. Unfortunately, she goes over the top and manages to alienate-temporarily-her friends and her sister. She also runs up some big bills on her mother's charge card without permission. It is difficult to become involved with this group of young people, and the credit-card use becomes a major plot gaff. Maya's mother is horrified when the card is turned down at the local department store but more than a week passes before she contacts the company. And while her shopping spree does end up costing her most of her new-car fund, Maya doesn't seem to view her actions as dishonest. This lack of moral sensibility would be troubling in any book, and it's particularly jarring in a series that is supposed to show that "It takes faith in each other-and in God-to face twenty-first century challenges-." Posting a scripture verse and a thought for the day on their Web site seems to be the only part God plays in these girls' lives. Readers are encouraged to visit the TodaysGirls.com site, where they can read the first chapter of these books and buy them. Even libraries with a huge demand for Christian fiction won't be missing much if they pass on this series.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library,

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