Set in 1981 at an elite New York City private school, Pollet's (When I Was a Girl
) first novel trenchantly evokes middle school social life in all its hazards and perplexities. Penelope Schwartzbaum has just entered seventh grade at Elston Prep, where her homeroom teacher welcomes everyone by saying, "This year we're going to try and break you." Penelope already imagines herself breaking, "snapping in half like one of the Number 2 pencils in the front pouch of her backpack." She's growing away from her socially savvy best friend, Stacy, but knows that a best friend is crucial to survival. And her parents are too busy advancing their careers (and going out—just what is Penelope's mother up to with that handsome younger client?) to pay much attention. Confusion in algebra pales next to Penelope's dazed response to the social dynamics. When the most powerful girl in class demands that Penelope and Stacy sign "The Pledge" to snub new kids, Penelope adds her name in "scratchy, minuscule letters" ("If it wasn't really her signature, it wasn't really her, right?"). Graffiti erupts around school, denouncing the girls behind The Pledge; Pollet expertly lays out the clues and leaves it to readers to deduce that Penelope is the author. Pollet gets all the details right, from how a clique attacks a victim to the trappings of a fancy bat mitzvah, and then delves beneath the surface to explore the pressures on the protagonists and even their parents, delivering a full-bodied and compassionate work. Ages 10-13. (July)
