The Rise and Fall Of A 10th Grade Social Climber

Reader reviewed by Rima

Hmmm,.. I was thinking this book was going to be completely different than what I thought. But it was still a good read, not exactly a fast read took me awhile to really get it. Its surprising that the Coolies all have different things about them that makes them so unlike, yet they are really close. It was quite interesting to read, I guess so. It was kinda boring to me, but loved the ending since to me it wasnt predictable. Another book marked off of my TBR list,! (:

Reader reviewed by TruBlu93

After the separation of her parents, Mimi Schulman deserts her home in Texas and moves to the Big Apple to live with her dad. Her reason behind this was that she knew that her dad couldnt survive on his own so he needed her to be there with him through his hard times. Her first day at Baldwin School is not what she expected, or is used to. She quickly befriends the cool, popular group at school. Well, at least she thinks theyre the It group. When Sam explains to her who they actual cool people are, she finds it unbelievable. They are nothing like the paper-cut, picture perfect, Barbie doll that we and Mimi are used to. So, for the fun of it, she and Sam make a bet. If she makes friends with the coolies, as they call them, Sam had to date one of the not so awesome chicks and if she cant befriend them, she had to hang out with the not so cool people. Mimi quickly forgets the real reason she came to New York as she pursues this new idea.

I Thought that this was a really interesting a book about friendship who your friends really are and what you would do to become popular. I would recommend this book to kids having to deal with these same problems. Mimi really spoke to me because I felt like I was going through the same problems she was, only mine are not as dramatic.

Reader reviewed by Jocelyn

The Rise And Fall Of A 10th Grade Social Climber is a book about Mimi Schulman, who moves to New York from Houston to take care of her art photographer father. When Mimi goes to orientation for her new school, she's in for a shock. It's nothing like her school in Houston. The crowd of low-fat obsessed blondes, who would have been the popular crowd in Houston, are social rejects. Instead, there are five girls who are nothing like anyone popular in Houston, but in NYC, they are the coolest of the cool. Mimi's best friend from her childhood in New York, Sam, bets her that she can't get in with the popular crowd. If he wins, he has to date Amanda for two months. If she does, she has to be clingy, overly happy Amanda's best friend. Mimi thinks she knows how to get in with the cool kids, but those All-American bubbly blondes in Houston were nothing when compared to the totally different in crowd in NYC of Pia, Vivian, Lily, and Jess.

This book was awesome. I loved the very different, very real characters, especially Mimi. No character is unrealistic--everyone, from Rachel, Mimi's Texas best friend, to Quinn, her dad's assistant, is well-thought out. Nobody was just thrown in there to fill a role.

It's a funny, real, emotional story that, to top it all off, takes place in most awesome city, New York. It's most definitely worth your time and money to read it. What could be better than this?

Reader reviewed by Fiona Flamingo

High school is not easy for anyone, but it is especially difficult for Mimi Schulman, who leaves her mother in Houston to live with her father in New York. He is falling apart after the collapse of his marriage to Mimi's mother. Mimi had spent most of her teenage years just trying to blend in, and now she must learn the new rules to be accepted by her peers at the Baldwin School.

Best friend Sam bets Mimi that she can't become friends with the cool Baldwin girls. Mimi accepts Sam's bet, but soon finds out that the cool girls at Baldwin are very different from the blonde all-American types in Texas. At first she is just being friendly to Pia, Jess, Viv, and Lily because of the bet. She soon finds out that these rich, popular girls have secrets and family problems much worse than her own. Mimi eventually feels the bonds of real friendship forming and then the stakes become much higher. Her entire friendship is based on lies and deception. How would she ever face her friends again if they found out?

Lauren Mechling and Laura Moser are the authors of THE RISE AND FALL OF A 10th-GRADE SOCIAL CLIMBER. Lauren grew up in Brooklyn, New York and graduated from Harvard College. She writes a column for the New York Sun. Laura grew up in Houston, Texas, and graduated from Amherst College. She is also the author of a biography of Bette Davis. Lauren and Laura became friends 10 years ago when Laura shared her acne medication with Lauren in a restroom. They now live near each other in Brooklyn.

Every teen knows the feeling of wanting to belong and struggling to find their true identity. Thus, readers will quickly identify with Mimi Schulman and the richly drawn characters in THE RISE AND FALL OF A 10th-GRADE SOCIAL CLIMBER.