Notable

Gr 9 Up—Following the events of Awkward (Kensington, 2012), popular socialite Chelsea Halloway is still recovering from her heartthrob boyfriend leaving her for the most awkward girl in school. Just when she thinks that life can't get any worse, her parents decide to ship her off to Cambodia for a semester abroad with a bunch of know-it-all college students. The trip is torturous for Chelsea, and when she finally starts making friends with some of her travel companions, she and her professor accidentally get caught in the middle of a nefarious drug deal. Her professor is beaten and thrown in jail, and Chelsea is chased out of the hotel by a crazy gunman when she inadvertently steals some of the drugs. Shaken and fearful, she must work with the other students to get everyone out of the sticky situation, and perhaps even get cute and intelligent Houston to notice her in the process. Although part of a series, this fun and humorous coming-of-age story also works as a stand-alone book. The excellent pacing and witty voice will have teens anxious to find out if Chelsea gets the guy and gets out of Cambodia alive. For fans of Meg Cabot and Louise Rennison.—Candyce Pruitt-Goddard, Hartford Public Library, CT