cover image Access Denied: (And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages)

Access Denied: (And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages)

Denise Vega. Little, Brown Young Readers, $16.99 (280pp) ISBN 978-0-316-03448-7

After surviving the ""Year of Humiliating Events (YOHE)"" in Click Here (To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade), Erin Swift, Web site-designer extraordinaire, is ready to make a fresh start. But in eighth grade, she faces a new set of boy problems, trouble with friends and a painful loss that makes her rethink her priorities. Clearly in tune with adolescents' roller coaster emotions and their numerous challenges, Vega's sequel is accented with excerpts from Erin's ""new and improved, totally secret & private home page"" that convey her triumphs and anxieties. Erin's on-again, off-again crushes-especially with basketball buddy Mark-are entertaining; her more complex relationships with aging custodian, Mr. Foslowski and new student, Reede, who does ""a lot of things against the rules,"" add depth. As before, Erin proves to be a good girl who sometimes finds herself in awkward situations. Accurately mirroring middle-school life, the story should hit home with tweens. Ages 12-up.