Dork Diaries #5: Tales from a Not-So-Smart Miss Know-It-All

Gr 4–8—Nikki Maxwell may be a student at WCD Middle School, but she's not from a family with money like the other private school students. Her father is the school exterminator. She has three great friends: Chloe, Zoey, and Brandon. She also has one arch nemesis, MacKenzie Hollister, who is determined to expose Nikki for who she is and take her crush/friend, Brandon, any way she can. To make things worse, on New Years, Nikki, Chloe, and Zoey had toilet-papered MacKenzie's house, giving the girl a sure-fire way to blackmail them. If Nikki doesn't get her an invitation to Brandon's birthday party, Mackenzie will make sure she's not only kicked out of school, but also sent to the other side of the state. Can the friends stop MacKenzie's evil plans or will Nikki lose everything she's worked for? The latest episode (Aladdin, 2012) in Russell's series for girls is entertaining even though the characters seem one-dimensional at times. Jenni Barber gives each character a distinct voice and provides smooth transitions for plot twists. A fun listen for fans of the series.—Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UT