President of the Whole Fifth Grade

Gr 4—5—Brianna Justice is good at setting goals and knows what she wants for her future: to become fifth-grade class president and eventually be rich and famous with her own cupcake business and cooking show. She's sure the former is the path to the latter and has been planning her election strategy all summer. When unscrupulous newcomer Jasmine runs against her, the competition takes an ugly turn with both girls trying underhand tricks in order to win. The story begins to resemble a Mean Girls of elementary school as Brianna makes one bad decision after another, turning into a rather unlikable character and nearly losing her friends in the process. She learns from her mistakes, however, and is able to turn both her friendships and the election around. The story will resonate with preteens navigating the ups, downs, and drama that come with the territory of many young girls' friendships.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA