The Perfect Gift

Two of a Kind Diaries #26

by Megan Stine

Mary-Kate gets a beautiful beaded necklace from her Secret Santa. She thinks it's from Carter, a really cute boy in one of her classes. Could Carter have a crush on her? Ashley gets the worst presents ever from her Secret Santa -- stinky gym socks and a half-eaten sandwich! Her Secret Santa must really not like her. And Ashley has the feeling it's one of her friends!

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Christmas

100 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2002

About the author

Megan Stine is the Editor-in-Chief of Real U Guides and the author of more than 100 books for young readers including Trauma-Rama, an etiquette book for teenagers published by Seventeen magazine, and several titles in a series based on the popular 1990’s television series Party of Five. A frequent writer of books in the enormously popular Mary-Kate and Ashley series, she is the best-selling author of Likes Me, Likes Me Not and Instant Boyfriend. She has worked with CBS and ABC in developing comedy and drama television pilots, and has written comedy material for a well-known radio personality in New York.

When she isn’t writing, she is a portrait and fine art photographer and a contributing photographer for the Real U series of guides.

Reviews

[August Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason, every character in the series stepped into this particular book and chose to be insufferable. Ashley was at least trying to do things with good intentions, but pretty much everyone else was just awful in one way or another. The main plot with Mary-Kate was riddled with selfishness, and a new character being fed up with it (and with good reason!) only to cave and help in the end. They painted this new girl as a villain when she hadn’t done anything wrong.
The ending was quite wholesome though, so that kept it at a neutral 3.

[Rebecca Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this is the second Christmas at white Oak but they are still in the first form, does it not change at the end of summer break, should they not be in the second form now. anyways I liked the secret Santa idea, as soon as the second present to Ashley I knew who it was but glad she got a nice gift at the end.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I figured out who Ashley's Secret Santa was immediately, but this was still really fun to read.

I kind of wish I had waited to read this until December, though!

[_bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predicted Jeremy was Ashley’s secret Santa.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twins are at boarding school and try to figure out who is the mysterious Secret Santa that is also a prankster. The setting was cozy.

[Shotobhisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, fun, silly
Childhood bookshelf does have some gems

[Jessamine]

I loved this book so much as a kid.

Whether it was from watching Zoey 101 or reading Harry Potter, I had a fascination with boarding school, and this book was no exception. I still remember the sparkly bracelet Mary-Kate got as a Secret Santa gift, the awful ones Ashley got, and their antics with their friends.

Did I read anything else in the Two of a Kind series? No. But this was probably the best.

[Maisie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pre teen reads

[Alisha Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and was on an endeavour to collect all their movies and books.

Two of a Kind was a cute little series that offered interesting storylines.

[Ayushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

really..very nice to read..wierd gifts for ashley should be a no.no..very interesting...