Gr 4—6—In this sequel to Callie's Rules (Egmont USA, 2009), Callie's desire to be popular has been replaced by her need to be part of a group, to have something to belong to. She loves to write and feels as though she has found her calling in her school's first-ever newspaper. As she tries to balance journalistic reporting, staying out of trouble, seeing friends getting bullied, and having a crush on the newspaper adviser, she discovers that not everyone wants to know the truth. Should she be honest, even if it means angering others, including the principal, who wants to make sure that this paper shows only the school's best side? When she is called into his office and is threatened by him and a bullying police chief, she gets great support from her lawyer father and the newspaper's advisor. Playful, entertaining writing peppers this novel. However, readers unfamiliar with Callie never really get to know the girl behind the pen. Other characters are slightly one-dimensional and at times conversations feel forced or scripted, and the story line is sometimes hard to follow. There's too much telling and not enough showing. Some scenes fly by with hardly any support and kids will wonder if they've missed something important. A quick, easy read for fans of the first book.—Mariela Siegert, Westfield Middle School, Bloomingdale, IL
Sixth-grader Callie continues to try to find a balance between freethinking and social acceptance in this sequel to Callie's Rules. As she begins writing for the school paper, her opinion pieces infuriate the administration and hurt her journalistic ambitions. Though some of the characters remain two-dimensional, the story line, with its emphasis on creative thinking and friendship, is satisfyingly.
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