Teen Queens and Has-Beens

by Cathy Hopkins

Book Overview

"Yeah but...," I started,then I decided to confront what I thought was probably really bothering her. "Look, about Jonno. I didn't mean for anything to happen. He just kind of..."After a game of truth or dare, Lia manages to gain the interest of the school heartthrob, and alienates "teen queen" Kaylie, who was after Jonno for herself. Kaylie and her friends then start a campaign of bullying against Lia -- the nasty, underhanded kind where rumors are...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689871295
• ISBN13: 9780689871290
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 178 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.2" x 7.0"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

THE BEST BOOK EVER!

i learned a lot from this book especially about cliques, and friends, and that its hard sometimes for girls at that age to get along. Every book in the entire series, are great! cathy hopkins is my idol!!. White lies and barefaced truths, is the first. Then it's the princess of pop, then its teen queens and has beens. and then the fourth, starstruck is my second favorite out of the whole series, and then its double dare. After that its midsummer meltdown which is my favorite out of the whole thing, becuase its the most jam packed, out of the series and it has so many exciting things happening at the same time. This series is sooo0o0o0 good!!

Pretty decent!

I read this book in one night... from 1 to 3 in the morning... not one of those books you just CAN'T put down, more like one of those that just flows so smoothly there doesn't seem like a place you can end it till you read till the end... The Lia character was too perfect, and the Kaylie character was too mean. Everybody has a good side and bad traits... Lia almost seemed like a "Mary Sue". Plus it really didn't teach much of a lesson, didn't hold a deeper meaning, a bit typical, and just one of those books I'll read to the end simply because I can't find a place to stop, but afterwards, I feel nothing and will probably forget about it. I suppose it flowed nice but the story just wasn't deep enough like Christopher Pike's books or Anne Rice's.

An enjoyable story tackling serious issues

The third installment in Cathy Hopkins's Truth or Dare series features Lia, daughter of a famous '80s rocker. Lia recently started going to school near her home after years of boarding in London. She loves her friends --- Cat, Becca, Squidge and Mac --- and just wants to fit in. Popular "teen queen" Kaylie mentions that she likes Jonno, who in turn asks Lia out. Now Kaylie has it in for Lia, and starts a subtle bullying campaign that has Lia in knots every time she goes to school. The pranks increase and get more serious, and Lia now thinks about returning to her school in London. But her new friends are not ready to give her up yet, and encourage her to stand up for herself. She tries to reason with Kaylie, but the girl is bent on humiliating Lia in any way she can. Lia also tries avoidance and shrinks within herself, attempting not to attract notice. The last thing Lia wants is a big confrontation, but soon she realizes that lots of other girls are bullied by Kaylie and her friends as well. It's time for it all to end. Hopkins tackles the serious issue of girl bullying in the midst of an enjoyable story. This series remains strong. American fans should realize that 'been' comes close to rhyming with 'Queen' in England, where the story is set. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

Real Problems, Great Message

It's Valentine's Day and Lia Axford is depressed because no one has sent her a Valentine's Day card. She is still adjusting to her new life in Cornwall. Lia had loved her old school, but ended up boarding there when her parents moved to a new home, far from London. She missed her family and decided to live at home and start over at a new school. She has made some great friends there, particularly Cat, Becca, Mac and Squidge. But she wonders how she will fit in at this new school. Her dad is a famous rock star. Her mother is beautiful, her brother and sister are popular and outgoing and Lia feels invisible, no matter how beautiful everyone says she is. She wants to conceal her parents' wealth and her father's fame from her new schoolmates, hoping to fit in with the rest of the crowd. Kaylie O'Hara is teen queen of the new school, along with her group of Clones. She has set her sights on newly unattached Jonno Appleton, the most popular boy in their class. But to Lia's surprise, Jonno is interested in her, not Kaylie. While Lia is flattered by the attention, she fears that Kaylie will be out for revenge. Sure enough, Kaylie and the Clones set out to make Lia's life miserable. No matter what Lia does, Kaylie has zeroed in on her as target and the bullying begins. Kaylie starts rumors, humiliates Lia at every turn, making sure that whatever she does cannot be pinned on her. This causes Lia's self-confidence to take a nosedive, wondering if she is imagining that Kaylie is behind this mess. She is also confused over who her real friends are. In the satisfying resolution of this book, Kaylie gets her comeuppance and is exposed for the bully she is, and has always been. It is sad and disturbing to realize how prevalent this kind of bullying is these days, typified not only by the experiences of so many young girls, but brought jarringly to our attention by recent movies such as Mean Girls and 13 Going on 30. It is important to teach children that bullying of any kind is never acceptable and that keeping silent is toxic to their self-esteem and relationships with others. American readers might have a bit of trouble understanding some of the British colloquialisms, but the message in this book is well worth the effort. The writing is authentic and it is apparent that Cathy Hopkins has done her research well, delving into the psyches of young teens and creating characters who will be immediately recognizable to her readers.