The Revenge Playbook

Gr 9 Up—In the small town of Ranburne, TN, football is king. The members of the high school team can and do get away with pretty much anything, but that's all about to change. Liv, Peyton, Ana, and Melanie all have their reasons as to why they want the football team to go down, and they plot to get their hands on the revered "Football of '76." The four of them manage to get the list of dares that's part of the JV football players' scavenger hunt. If the players don't complete the tasks by a certain time, they have to walk onto the football field naked during the homecoming game. All of the dares must be photo documented, and the winner gets the famous football. In the process of trying derail the scavenger hunt, the four protagonists become friends. This loose readalike to E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (Disney-Hyperion, 2008), celebrates girl power and focuses on challenging "old boys' clubs" traditions. The chapters jump from present day to the pranks to the backstory, so it's a bit confusing at first, but readers will get familiar with each narrative fairly quickly. It's a book about high school, bullying, popularity, and finding your own voice while doing what is right.