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Nice and Mean
Marina is mean. Sachi is nice. Marina is Barney’s. Sachi is Burlington Coat Factory. It’s bad enough they’re forced to coexist in their middle-school’s high-profile video elective—but now they’re being forced to work together on the big semester project. Marina’s objective? Out her wannabe BFF as a fashion victim to the entire middle school. Sachi’s objective? Prove that she’s not just the smiley class pencil-lender and broaden her classmates’ cultural horizons. Work together in harmony? Yeah, that would be a "no." How can Sachi film something meaningful, and Marina, something fabulous, if they’re yoked to each other?
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2010
12 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 16, 2019
It was okay, but really predictable. Same as The Pretenders, where it was really outdated. I wasn’t sure about some of the slang-the author was on the fence about using it. There was no character growth at all. Zip. Zilch. Nada. None.
June 12, 2010
One of my favorite part of the book is when Sachi and Priyanka talk abouthow every few years or so, Indian culture becomes popular (bhangra music, people start wearing variations of saris, etc.) and then interest dies out. I thought this was an interesting point that was brought up and I enjoyed reading about Sachi exploring the topic. Fashion trends can change, but it's not right that every couple of years one culture or another becomes "in" and then later on, it's "out."
Nice and Mean is a cute read that had me remembering my own middle school years (which was only about 2-3 years ago, haha) and had more depth than I expected. I think this book will really appeal to its targeted audience, older readers will think it's cute but they may grow frustrated at Sachi's passive voice or Marina's unchecked bullying. Middle school readers will be able to better relate and the subtle message incorporated into the novel about being assertive is one that all middle school aged students should keep in mind as they prepare for high school. The message about popularity is predictable and not as subtle. Towards the end it becomes quite clear what the message is since it is said over and over. I was also really pleased at the diversity in this novel. It's not forced, it all seems natural. Not only is Sachi Indian American but one of Marina's best friends is half Chinese and there are Latino and African American characters sprinkled throughout the novel. Schools are getting more and more diverse and I was really happy to see that Ms. Leader recognized that and included it. My automatic assumption would have been that all Marina's friends and their boyfriends/crushes were white, but they weren't. Marina's bullying humor, along with her horror of having to work with Sachi (and vice versa) all make for a pleasant and amusing read
Nice and Mean is a cute read that had me remembering my own middle school years (which was only about 2-3 years ago, haha) and had more depth than I expected. I think this book will really appeal to its targeted audience, older readers will think it's cute but they may grow frustrated at Sachi's passive voice or Marina's unchecked bullying. Middle school readers will be able to better relate and the subtle message incorporated into the novel about being assertive is one that all middle school aged students should keep in mind as they prepare for high school. The message about popularity is predictable and not as subtle. Towards the end it becomes quite clear what the message is since it is said over and over. I was also really pleased at the diversity in this novel. It's not forced, it all seems natural. Not only is Sachi Indian American but one of Marina's best friends is half Chinese and there are Latino and African American characters sprinkled throughout the novel. Schools are getting more and more diverse and I was really happy to see that Ms. Leader recognized that and included it. My automatic assumption would have been that all Marina's friends and their boyfriends/crushes were white, but they weren't. Marina's bullying humor, along with her horror of having to work with Sachi (and vice versa) all make for a pleasant and amusing read
June 10, 2010
I would have loved this in sixth grade. Captures the voice of the studious hard worker and the snarky fashionista perfectly. Well done.
August 28, 2013
I really like it! Sachi Parikh is my favorite.
February 12, 2018
I thought this book was good because of how nice Sachi is. Marina could be better.
July 4, 2010
With so many fabulous YA novels out on the market, I rarely venture to read middle grade. I'm so glad I decided to pick up Nice and Mean, though, it was a terrific read! Jessica Leader has a nice writing style and everything flows together well. She gets inside her character's heads, so they're even more believable and realistic. I liked how the narration switched between Sachi (the "nice" girl) and Marina (the "mean" girl). It was interesting to get both of their perspectives on things and also learn more about their family and friends. The idea of bringing them together in a Video elective was fantastic, and it really brought out the best and worst in the two characters. Sachi wanted to film something about different cultures and Marina- about fashion. The story contained very positive messages and proved being mean is not the way to make friends. Also, don't always go with your first impressions of people. Middle schoolers will enjoy and relate to this novel and will definitely take something away from reading it.
I especially liked Sachi's chapters because I enjoyed learning about native Indian cultures and traditions from the perspective of someone from the country. Her family was strict, but her parents did have warm hearts and just wanted what was best for Sachi. Sachi didn't always have the best relationship with her older sister, Priyanka, but that changed as the novel progressed. The one thing that irked me about Sachi was that she always let everyone throw her around. It really made me mad how her "friends" always were so rude to her and she never said anything back to them! Luckily, with Marina's help, Sachi learned to stand up for herself and what she believed in.
Marina also had similar conflicts with her friends, some of them really weren't who they first appeared. The drama surrounding Marina and her friend Rachel was one of the main plot lines and really made the novel seem more realistic. Although I felt bad for Marina, she could really be a mean person, and it took spending time with Sachi to realize this.
Overall, the plot was interesting and unique. Jessica Leader took what could have been a cliched story about two girls and made it her own. The characters were complex as well and I really enjoyed every page of this book. Older readers might have a harder time connecting with the characters, but it will definitely bring back fond (and not so fond!) middle school memories. The ending was great and tied everything together well, making me enjoy the book that much more. This was an amusing, light hearted read, with more serious undertones. I highly recommend this to all fans of middle grade, and if you haven't been a fan before, this is a great book to break back into the genre with.
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
I especially liked Sachi's chapters because I enjoyed learning about native Indian cultures and traditions from the perspective of someone from the country. Her family was strict, but her parents did have warm hearts and just wanted what was best for Sachi. Sachi didn't always have the best relationship with her older sister, Priyanka, but that changed as the novel progressed. The one thing that irked me about Sachi was that she always let everyone throw her around. It really made me mad how her "friends" always were so rude to her and she never said anything back to them! Luckily, with Marina's help, Sachi learned to stand up for herself and what she believed in.
Marina also had similar conflicts with her friends, some of them really weren't who they first appeared. The drama surrounding Marina and her friend Rachel was one of the main plot lines and really made the novel seem more realistic. Although I felt bad for Marina, she could really be a mean person, and it took spending time with Sachi to realize this.
Overall, the plot was interesting and unique. Jessica Leader took what could have been a cliched story about two girls and made it her own. The characters were complex as well and I really enjoyed every page of this book. Older readers might have a harder time connecting with the characters, but it will definitely bring back fond (and not so fond!) middle school memories. The ending was great and tied everything together well, making me enjoy the book that much more. This was an amusing, light hearted read, with more serious undertones. I highly recommend this to all fans of middle grade, and if you haven't been a fan before, this is a great book to break back into the genre with.
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
December 12, 2010
In the book, Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader, the two main characters are Marina Glass and Sachi Parikh. Marina is considered the “mean” girl and Sachi the “nice” girl. Marina is popular and pretty, and Sachi is quiet and good at math. She lets people to tell her what to do and walk all over her, especially her friends. They both meet at an after school class, video. Sachi does something very unlike herself and forges her parents’ signature on the permission slip, for they want her to sign up for test prep. Marina wants to do a fashionable theme from her favorite TV show, “Victim or Victorious”, but Sachi wants to do a video on different cultures in their school. Marina wins this battle with her convincing spirit.
Marina decides that she does not like the way her friend Rachel is acting, so she decides to totally mess up Rachel’s life in her video, and she gets her other friends to help her. She does not tell Sachi this yet.
Next, Rachel sees the video and gets really mad. She turns all of Marina’s other friends against her, and is planning revenge. Marina wants to get away from all of this so she hides at Sachi’s house. She tells Sachi’s mother that she knows her from video. Sachi’s parents get very angry that Sachi did not tell them about the class so remove her and enroll her in test prep. Marina gets kicked out of video because Rachel tells the principal what she did.
Sachi Parikh gets permission to work on her video during lunch time, and Marina wants to help. She loves making videos. Sachi lets her and they apologize to each other for arguing. They start getting along much better.
The video they are working on becomes very nice and it uses the information that Sachi used to interview kids. Marina goes along with her ideas, and especially since she doesn’t have any other friends at the moment, is super nice to her.
When Marina follows her friend Elizabeth’s advice and apologizes to Rachel, they become friends again and she interviews her for the video.
They show their video in class and it is a big hit! Everyone loves it and Sachi and Marina are proud. Marina and all of her friends are together, and Sachi finally gets the courage to stand up to her friends for once and tell them how she feels.
Marina decides that she does not like the way her friend Rachel is acting, so she decides to totally mess up Rachel’s life in her video, and she gets her other friends to help her. She does not tell Sachi this yet.
Next, Rachel sees the video and gets really mad. She turns all of Marina’s other friends against her, and is planning revenge. Marina wants to get away from all of this so she hides at Sachi’s house. She tells Sachi’s mother that she knows her from video. Sachi’s parents get very angry that Sachi did not tell them about the class so remove her and enroll her in test prep. Marina gets kicked out of video because Rachel tells the principal what she did.
Sachi Parikh gets permission to work on her video during lunch time, and Marina wants to help. She loves making videos. Sachi lets her and they apologize to each other for arguing. They start getting along much better.
The video they are working on becomes very nice and it uses the information that Sachi used to interview kids. Marina goes along with her ideas, and especially since she doesn’t have any other friends at the moment, is super nice to her.
When Marina follows her friend Elizabeth’s advice and apologizes to Rachel, they become friends again and she interviews her for the video.
They show their video in class and it is a big hit! Everyone loves it and Sachi and Marina are proud. Marina and all of her friends are together, and Sachi finally gets the courage to stand up to her friends for once and tell them how she feels.
March 9, 2011
REVIEW
We all know them. The mean girls at school. They are the ones who think they rule the school and bring others down just because they can. Their friends aren’t real though, because they are only being loyal out of fear. Marina is all-out mean.
Then there are the nice girls. Sometimes too nice, if you know what I mean. They can’t say no to anyone, and they get walked all over. Sachi falls into this “too nice” category.
Jessica Leader presents both sides of this story in a creative way. Marina’s Little Black Book and Sachi’s Video Nightmare are like journal entries into the girls’ minds. As much as I didn’t care for Marina and her meanness, I liked getting into her thoughts and trying to understand WHY she was the way she was. In the end, I think Marina was insecure and drunk with power. Sachi, on the other hand, became a doormat because her parents planned her every move.
This book is less about the video, and more about growing up, and story itself is engaging. The girls came up with a new idea on their own, and I loved that.
I recommend this book to middle grade and younger-young adult readers. Thank you to Jessica Leader for sending this book for me to review.
RATING
4 Plot
4 Characters
3 Attention Grabbing
4 Girlie Meter
4 Ending
19 TOTAL
4 STARS
We all know them. The mean girls at school. They are the ones who think they rule the school and bring others down just because they can. Their friends aren’t real though, because they are only being loyal out of fear. Marina is all-out mean.
Then there are the nice girls. Sometimes too nice, if you know what I mean. They can’t say no to anyone, and they get walked all over. Sachi falls into this “too nice” category.
Jessica Leader presents both sides of this story in a creative way. Marina’s Little Black Book and Sachi’s Video Nightmare are like journal entries into the girls’ minds. As much as I didn’t care for Marina and her meanness, I liked getting into her thoughts and trying to understand WHY she was the way she was. In the end, I think Marina was insecure and drunk with power. Sachi, on the other hand, became a doormat because her parents planned her every move.
This book is less about the video, and more about growing up, and story itself is engaging. The girls came up with a new idea on their own, and I loved that.
I recommend this book to middle grade and younger-young adult readers. Thank you to Jessica Leader for sending this book for me to review.
RATING
4 Plot
4 Characters
3 Attention Grabbing
4 Girlie Meter
4 Ending
19 TOTAL
4 STARS
June 30, 2010
This is a fresh, authentic tale of middle school diversity; not just group diversity, but also the diversity within one person--because each one of us is more than any "label."
As a first-generation American, I could identify with hardworking immigrant Sachi, who yearns to be more than just "Nice." Yet as an ex child-drama-queen, I could also identify with snooty, snarky Marina who is up to her earrings in social drama (most of which is her own dang fault). Both voices are unique and bursting with humor; they ring true and hook you fast. It's a breezy, entertaining read that happens to be about some serious stuff.
Nice and Mean is book I'd highly recommend for middle grade readers.
As a first-generation American, I could identify with hardworking immigrant Sachi, who yearns to be more than just "Nice." Yet as an ex child-drama-queen, I could also identify with snooty, snarky Marina who is up to her earrings in social drama (most of which is her own dang fault). Both voices are unique and bursting with humor; they ring true and hook you fast. It's a breezy, entertaining read that happens to be about some serious stuff.
Nice and Mean is book I'd highly recommend for middle grade readers.
July 6, 2010
When mean girl Marina and nice girl Sachi are partnered for a video project, can they put aside their differences to make the project work?
This is a great middle-grade read with authentic, diverse characters and a lot of heart. Details about fashion and creating videos add a little sparkle to the story. I'd hand this to girls who liked Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle or shug by Jenny Han.
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/...
This is a great middle-grade read with authentic, diverse characters and a lot of heart. Details about fashion and creating videos add a little sparkle to the story. I'd hand this to girls who liked Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle or shug by Jenny Han.
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/...
August 26, 2010
A fun foray into tween culture as a nice girl Sachi and mean girl Marina sign up for a video class, each with their own secret agenda. The author does a great job of getting into the heads of each of the girls. The situations and characters feel authentic, and I really cared about what would happen. It's a great read for middle grade girls, but older teens will also recognize the conflicts and apppreciate the issues that are raised.
October 14, 2010
This was a fun and a bit frightening reminder of the way girls treat each other in junior high. The kids felt real, I loved how diverse the characters were, and I also liked how Marina didn't change overnight and become the nicest person ever. I also liked Sachi's story of beginning to be something other than just the nice girl. Full review at One Librarian's Book Reviews.
March 6, 2018
I read this a few years ago, as Leader is a local author and I love me some children's/YA lit. I don't read *too* much middle grade stuff, but I remember enjoying the story a lot. Sachi also seemed to be a well-formed character who wasn't thrust into Indian stereotypes, which I also appreciated. A little bit predictable, yeah (of course both girls are going to learn from one another), but that's to be expected of the genre. I should maybe go back and re-read this one, now that I'm older.
November 14, 2010
This was a delightful book that was a reminder of how stressful middle school can be for girls. What's popular? Who's popular? I really enjoyed this book and will enjoy hearing what my daughter thinks of it once she gets done reading it. It's nice to have books out there that a Mother and daughter can both read. Thanks Jessica Leader!
January 23, 2016
It was a year and a half since I read this, but I remember one thing: what a drag. It took me such a long time to read this, because it was just boring. All it is is about Marina, a 'mean' girl, and sachi, a 'nice girl'. I am actually surprised that people like tween novels so much. Sorry, I'll stick to Sci-Fi and Manga instead.
June 28, 2010
I don't know how Jessica Leader managed to take someone as seemingly nasty as Marina and make her into such an entertaining, likable character. I was seriously rooting for her the whole time.
Okay, well obviously I was rooting for Sachi. But I can root for two people, can't I?
Okay, well obviously I was rooting for Sachi. But I can root for two people, can't I?
October 23, 2010
Adorable! Jessica writes for the same imprint as I do, so naturally I was anxious to read her book. I loved how vastly different her two main characters were and the movie plot really hooked me in. This book is definitely woo.
December 26, 2010
Definitely a nice and fun read. Having heard the author last month at Destinations Booksellers made this a title I wanted to finish. She did a great job of discussing the difficulties of being an immigrant family, and all the ups and downs and drama of middle school girl friendships.
July 27, 2010
This is a fun, well crafted book for tweens that takes readers on several unexpected twists and turns, yet manages to bring the story satisfactory conclusion.
October 10, 2010
I thought this book was pretty boring. I didnt think it really had flow to it. Sorry Guys!
May 23, 2011
I liked the ending.
March 8, 2012
I don't really like it. No surprising events or conflicts, not that much climax. Overall, not a great read but it was okay.
March 7, 2016
I thought this was very strong, a great meditation on what it is to be a girl in middle school, to be a friend, to make decisions about fashion, and etc.
June 7, 2021
I LOVED THIS. THIS IS NOAH BY THE WAY!
April 7, 2015
I read this such a long time ago but it is still relevent.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews