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Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-so-Fabulous Life

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-so-Fabulous Life
by Rachel Renee Russell
282 pages
juvenile fiction
New York : Aladdin, 2009

Nikki Maxwell's dad is a bug exterminator. Thanks to his contract with a prep school called Winchester Country Day, Nikki is on scholarship at the school. As with most 8th-grade girls, her biggest concern is getting in with the popular crowd at school. Of course, the best way to insure this is to have a top-of-the-line cell phone. When her mom gives her a blank book to use as a diary instead of a phone, Nikki is devastated. Determined to never write in the book Nikki starts school. Very quickly she begins to fill up the diary with all of the drama of junior high as well as lots of fun drawings. Read the Dork Diaries to hear all about the popular girls, the cute boys, the maybe best friends, the art contest and so much more.

The main character is 14-years-old and in 8th grade. However, most 5th and 6th grade girls will be entertained by Nikki's trials and triumphs at Winchester Country Day.

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