2015
WISE Score
Amazon
The middle school equivalent of a soap opera, where a stolen diary leads to maximum social carnage.
4.7
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Look, it’s not Hemingway. It’s a book about a girl whose biggest problem is a mean blonde girl stealing her notebook. But in the world of a 10-year-old, that’s a legitimate crisis.
It’s fast, it’s funny, and it keeps kids reading when they’d rather be on Roblox. The 'mean girl' stuff is a bit dated and one-dimensional, but it’s a harmless way for kids to process school social dynamics from a safe distance. If your kid is into Wimpy Kid, they’ll inhale this.
Best for 9 to 12-year-olds. By 13 or 14, most kids will find the 'OMG' drama a bit too juvenile, but for 4th and 5th graders, this is peak entertainment.
It captures the chaotic, often-petty energy of middle school. While it deals with friendship, it leans heavily into 'mean girl' tropes and social hierarchies that can feel a bit shallow.
The diary-plus-doodle format is a classic for a reason. This specific installment flips the script by letting the antagonist, MacKenzie, take over the narrative, which is a clever creative choice for the series.
Completely safe in terms of content. No violence, language, or mature themes. The only 'danger' is the high level of sass and name-calling (dork, loser, etc.) typical of the genre.
It’s 'junk food' reading, but it’s high-quality junk food. It gets reluctant readers through books quickly and builds reading stamina, even if the moral lessons are buried under layers of lip gloss and drama.
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