Thursday, 4 October 2012

Dork Diaries: Skating Sensation by Rachel Renne Russell (Children's, 9 years +, 10/10)

June 2012, Simon and Schuster
360 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: annoying little sisters who occassionally do good, constantly having a troublesome life, confusing crushes/first mild romance, animal centre in trouble, having fun with friends & family, mean girls with an evil streak that could have been dangerous, being useless at something, outwitting a diva, lots of snow and ice drama, connection between fairies & clowns, the Nutcracker Ballet, inappropriate behaviour, insane amount of humour, a tissue needed

Summary from Simon and Schuster

Nikki Maxwell isn't at all surprised to find out that her crush Brandon volunteers at a local animal shelter. He's such a sweet guy - of course he wants to help those adorable puppies! Then Brandon tells her that the shelter is in danger of closing, and Nikki knows she can't let that happen. Especially when she discovers a shocking secret about Brandon that makes keeping that shelter open more important than ever. So Nikki and her friends Chloe and Zoey enter an ice skating competition to help raise money for the shelter, but (big surprise) Mackenzie has to stick her nose in and cause trouble so that she can be the one to swoop in and save the day. No way will Nikki let that happen: She'll just have to come up with some extra creative ideas this time!

Nayuleska's thoughts

Wow! Oh wow! I hadn't heard of this series before I reviewed it. I don' know how that happened - this is super hilarious! Nikki is like me and has entertaining mishaps - admittedly hers are more embarrassing. But no matter what happens she never gives up - even when she wants to someone (Brandon) or something reminds her why she's got to get through it. She has a huge heart which shows in the way she takes care of her little sister (even when Nikki wants to throttle Brianna), how she is prepared to be humiliated for a better cause. Her rival, Mackenzie is a Mean Girl. Yes the capital letters are necessary. She's an envious little madam who endangers Nikki and herfriends for a selfish reason. Nikki kept her cool and came up with a superb plan that had me smiling, crying and laughing. This 10/10 read will make you smile especially if you're having a bad day.

You can find out more on the Dork Diaries website.

Suggested read

For another hilarious read with a pesky little sister, try Witch Baby and Me On Stage by Debi Gliori

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