30 Days of No Gossip

Back in elementary school, Maddie was teased and shunned by the popular girls, but she has since discovered the power of being the first one "in the know" and passing on that information. In seventh grade, she is the school's reigning gossip queen and the author of the Troy Tattler newsletter. All is well until Maddie decides to "help" her best friend Vi by revealing her secret crush to the boy himself. Vi threatens to end their friendship unless Maddie can stop gossiping for 30 days, something made much harder when Maddie discovers a juicy secret. As the days pass, Maddie begins to figure out that helping her classmates in their hours of need can be more rewarding than spreading news of their misfortunes. Vi comes across as overly unforgiving and holier-than-thou%E2%80%94she doesn't give Maddie much credit as she tries her best to quash her bad habits. Still, debut writer Faris shows a knack for creating middle-school drama, as she leaves readers considering how information-sharing can be used both positively and negatively. Ages 9%E2%80%9313. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary Agency. (Mar.)