The Lipstick Laws

Gr 9 Up—April Bowers is entering 10th grade at Penford High, and it appears that she will spend another year without friends. That changes, though, when she is paired with the most popular girl in gym class. Britney invites April to become a "friend in training," meaning that she must prove herself to be socially worthy. Reluctant to do so, but desperately wanting to belong, April eventually signs the "Lipstick Laws," ensuring her spot with the in-crowd. Things go well until she realizes that the pact means that she can no longer be herself but must become a sycophant to Britney's every whim. After April is dropped, she decides to become a "Lipstick Lawbreaker" and get back at Britney. When things go too far, both girls need to step back from the brink, but only one does. Focusing on some of the serious aspects of high school, this book is about teen angst and how unrelenting peer pressure and subtle bullying can dominate and ruin a person's life. Holder presents the teen milieu through realistic dialogue and situations, and lightens heavy moments with humor. The protagonist is well developed, and her struggles and gradual self-realizations are believable as she ultimately finds true friends and the self-confidence to make the right choices.—Sharon Morrison, Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library, Durant, OK