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Spin the Bottle
Middle school is an Entirely New Planet. The girls look fully grown in the most glamorous and complicated ways, and the boys look . . . well, weird. The good news? Drama Club. Real Drama Club—with actual auditions, and roles involving more than the days of the week. Phoebe Hart has waited a long time for this. The stage, after all, is the one place the “flawed and unremarkable” Phoebe can let her inner star out. But when she learns of the opening night tradition—a game of Spin the Bottle—things suddenly get way more complicated. Enter: a heart-stopping crush, a best friend who might not be, two bloodthirsty Drama Divas, and a certain spinning bottle. Is it worth all the drama for a girl who just wants to fit in, and maybe prove her acting chops along the way? Welcome to middle school, Phoebe Hart.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 17, 2008
23 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 7, 2011
Spin the Bottle by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel is an excellent book. The title of the book gave my mom a heart attack. I guess I was naive because I didn't even know what spin the bottle meant when I checked out this book. After reading the story, I learned what it meant and assured my mom this book was fantastic. This book discussed middle school survival, peer pressure, how friendships change over time, and how to be true to yourself.
Spin the Bottle reminded me of my life. As I flipped each page, I was more convinced that somebody stole my diary. The first thing that caught my attention was , Phoebe, the main character, was so excited to join the drama club. She desired to star in a real school play. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It has been my dream to star in a school play since I first got a taste of it in second grade. Phoebe was given a small role in the school play just like I was this year. The similarities were getting scary.
This book was so true to real life. It may be fiction, but the author seemed to draw upon real school experiences in middle school. The story discusses the heirarchy of the different classes in middle school. After the first week of school, Phoebe realizes she was at the bottom of the totem pole. However, it only took one day for me to realize that the eighth graders are the top of the ocean. The seventh graders are somewhere in the middle. The sixth graders are the bottom feeders.
The story also discusses the very important topic of peer pressure. The author uses the game of spin the bottle to teach Phoebe lessons about peer pressure, physcial crushes on the opposite sex, making wise choices,and integrity. She does a great job of using vivid details. I could very easily picture a bunch of middle school kids sitting in a closet with a root beer bottle anxiously playing this game.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. However, I think it would be very helpful for fifth grade girls to read this book over their summer vacation. This might give them an opportunity to learn what to expect in middle school.
Spin the Bottle reminded me of my life. As I flipped each page, I was more convinced that somebody stole my diary. The first thing that caught my attention was , Phoebe, the main character, was so excited to join the drama club. She desired to star in a real school play. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It has been my dream to star in a school play since I first got a taste of it in second grade. Phoebe was given a small role in the school play just like I was this year. The similarities were getting scary.
This book was so true to real life. It may be fiction, but the author seemed to draw upon real school experiences in middle school. The story discusses the heirarchy of the different classes in middle school. After the first week of school, Phoebe realizes she was at the bottom of the totem pole. However, it only took one day for me to realize that the eighth graders are the top of the ocean. The seventh graders are somewhere in the middle. The sixth graders are the bottom feeders.
The story also discusses the very important topic of peer pressure. The author uses the game of spin the bottle to teach Phoebe lessons about peer pressure, physcial crushes on the opposite sex, making wise choices,and integrity. She does a great job of using vivid details. I could very easily picture a bunch of middle school kids sitting in a closet with a root beer bottle anxiously playing this game.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. However, I think it would be very helpful for fifth grade girls to read this book over their summer vacation. This might give them an opportunity to learn what to expect in middle school.
March 30, 2012
It was a good book but it had some flaws. For one it had alot of abbrieviations that I often times forgot. Like OOMA= Object of my affection or BCG= Blond Cherabic Girl
SO I got confussed sometimes but O fixed it up and got it to somewere I could remember. The cover also looks very very girly.
SO I got confussed sometimes but O fixed it up and got it to somewere I could remember. The cover also looks very very girly.
July 25, 2024
I really liked this book. The details were fascinating and the writing could be confusing at times but if you thought about it enough it would make sense. The ending felt a little rushed because the second to last chapter is when they actually spin the bottle. Overall it was a rollercoaster to read and I found myself smiling, laughing, and getting second-hand embarrassment!
June 2, 2015
it is a very good boook and i hope that alot of people read it :)
December 29, 2017
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody Spin the Bottle, 239 p. Dial (Penguin), 2008.
Phoebe is SOOO excited to start middle school, especially the chance to join the Drama Club and rub shoulders with her stage idols. Her best friend forever, Harper, is happy to go along for the ride, but is less than enthused by Phoebe's over the top idol-worshipping. While Phoebe agonizes over the traditional opening night game of Spin-the-Bottle, the girls fight and quit speaking, leaving Phoebe to wonder what really matters to her.
For once, here's a book that lets middle school girls realize that just because you and your best friend have different interests, doesn't mean that you have to say good-bye forever. The very pink front cover will catch the attention of girls who will definitely like it, but they will be getting more than just a bunch of fluff. Yeah!
MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
Phoebe is SOOO excited to start middle school, especially the chance to join the Drama Club and rub shoulders with her stage idols. Her best friend forever, Harper, is happy to go along for the ride, but is less than enthused by Phoebe's over the top idol-worshipping. While Phoebe agonizes over the traditional opening night game of Spin-the-Bottle, the girls fight and quit speaking, leaving Phoebe to wonder what really matters to her.
For once, here's a book that lets middle school girls realize that just because you and your best friend have different interests, doesn't mean that you have to say good-bye forever. The very pink front cover will catch the attention of girls who will definitely like it, but they will be getting more than just a bunch of fluff. Yeah!
MS - ESSENTIAL
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2008/...
October 13, 2021
honestly this book isnt good this app just wants you to write good reviews, i will be honest. this book didnt even have many good parts, and yes there was some draw dropping details somewhat. all that happened was pheobe and harper (her bestie for the restie) go to middle school. they face challenges with peers, she falls in love with this kid named tucker, they get in a fight like all kids do, they go to spin the bottle, kiss, and then everything settles and pheobe feels norm and like she fits in. bada been bada boom. the whole book.
October 20, 2017
The story was about a drama club that Harper and Phoebe wanted to do for a long time and when she goes to her first club day she meets Tucker and she falls in love. And they get a script for the play spin the bottle. in the middle of the story Harper and phoebe get in a fight. I think the book is a 4-5 review. It could have been better because it did not have very much drama and it could have left off or ended the book off better.
October 17, 2017
This book wasn't an inappropriate one, but it definitely was interesting. It was a very interesting story, and it got my hooked from the start. It always had something that you wanted to get uncovered, but everything was eventually uncovered in the end. That is where all the motivation to not stop reading came from.
February 7, 2018
It has such a great moral, that when you get over-dependent on your friends, you won't know what to do when they're aren't there for you. Spin the bottle is like a soda, it shakes you real hard as you read, until you feel like you're gonna pop at the climax!
April 13, 2020
A good coming of age a story for those in middle/high school. Shows that friendship is more important than impressing those who might not have your best interest.
December 1, 2022
It was an overall good book, would definitely recommend. I would say the age range is 13+.
May 27, 2025
I read it in 8th grade. I was a bit misled from the cover. I thought it was gonna be more girly and cute, rather than dorky and freind based. but i was definitely interested in some parts of it
November 14, 2012
Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
Welcome to Middle School. Everything you know about school, social politics, and life in general is about to change.
Phoebe Hart has just started middle school and is on the way to fulfilling her dream of joining the Drama Club and being in a real school play. Now she is surrounded by the very people she has looked up to-- the elite of the Monroe Middle School Drama Club. She is filling her days with auditions, set building, and rehearsals. With her best friend, Harper, by her side, she is sure that the Drama Club will be everything she ever dreamed it would be.
The problem is that middle school isn't like she planned. She is in a new building with older, more sophisticated girls. There are new classes, new classmates, new boys, and a rather unfortunate public display of nerves to deal with. Phoebe is also learning that the friendliest words of advice aren't necessarily spoken by people with the best intentions. Before long, she finds herself in the middle of an epic battle between two of the top divas in school. On top of that, she is trying to avoid another seventh-grader who seems determined to befriend her (which would totally ruin her cred with the older kids!). Then there's the argument with Harper and the cute boy who reduces her to a monosyllabic, babbling idiot.
But the one looming problem that is shadowing Phoebe's days is the traditional game of Spin the Bottle that happens every year on opening night. As opening night draws closer, Phoebe is filled with excitement and dread. Will she finally have the chance to kiss her crush? What if the bottle points to someone else? Does she even really want to play? And if not, how does she get out of it?
SPIN THE BOTTLE is definitely a good choice if you are looking for something fun to read. It is funny and the characters are so easy to identify with. Who hasn't been publicly humiliated at least once in middle school? It's just more fun to read about someone else's experience than to live your own!
Welcome to Middle School. Everything you know about school, social politics, and life in general is about to change.
Phoebe Hart has just started middle school and is on the way to fulfilling her dream of joining the Drama Club and being in a real school play. Now she is surrounded by the very people she has looked up to-- the elite of the Monroe Middle School Drama Club. She is filling her days with auditions, set building, and rehearsals. With her best friend, Harper, by her side, she is sure that the Drama Club will be everything she ever dreamed it would be.
The problem is that middle school isn't like she planned. She is in a new building with older, more sophisticated girls. There are new classes, new classmates, new boys, and a rather unfortunate public display of nerves to deal with. Phoebe is also learning that the friendliest words of advice aren't necessarily spoken by people with the best intentions. Before long, she finds herself in the middle of an epic battle between two of the top divas in school. On top of that, she is trying to avoid another seventh-grader who seems determined to befriend her (which would totally ruin her cred with the older kids!). Then there's the argument with Harper and the cute boy who reduces her to a monosyllabic, babbling idiot.
But the one looming problem that is shadowing Phoebe's days is the traditional game of Spin the Bottle that happens every year on opening night. As opening night draws closer, Phoebe is filled with excitement and dread. Will she finally have the chance to kiss her crush? What if the bottle points to someone else? Does she even really want to play? And if not, how does she get out of it?
SPIN THE BOTTLE is definitely a good choice if you are looking for something fun to read. It is funny and the characters are so easy to identify with. Who hasn't been publicly humiliated at least once in middle school? It's just more fun to read about someone else's experience than to live your own!
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February 16, 2010Phoebe Hart is thirteen years old and a student at Monroe Middle School. She wants to be an actress but feels insecure and lost among all the other teenagers in her school. Phoebe, along with her dependable best friend Harper, is excited to join the drama club where she can participate in auditions and earn parts in a serious production. She happily spends time building sets, auditioning and attending rehearsals until her problems begin. The big issue is that middle school isn't exactly like she planned and dealing with life gets complicated. She has to handle new friendships with people who may not have her best interest in mind, new classes, new academic demands and new boys. During this books, she finds herself in the middle of a battle between two of the divas in her school. She also has to decide how to handle another seventh grader who is making every attempt to be friends with her... the problem is that this person is not cool to be seen She is introduced to a new boy in the drama club who makes her so nervous she can't even see straight. She has to learn how to handle an argument with her best friend Harper. Lastly, she has to decide how to decide what to do about the Spin the Bottle game that all drama club members play on opening night. Will she play? How will she handle it all?
Reviews
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Reviews
http://www.teensreadtoo.com/SpinTheBo...
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Bottle-Eli...
Links
http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDis...
July 20, 2011
Elizabeth Cody Kimmel did such a great job of catching the full spectrum of awkwardness, discomfort, & embarrassment of being a middle school girl that at first, I really didn't like this book. However, the authenticity of protagonist Phoebe Hart's voice is absolute, & you root & cringe for her at the same time. Phoebe has been waiting to get into middle school for years now for one reason - drama club. She's gone to every show, & can't wait to be on the stage herself. But it feels like humiliation is at every corner, & she's afraid the established (older) members won't see her true talents. Add in the complication of first romance & some growing pains in her best friendship, & Phoebe's already plenty freaked out - & then she finds out about the traditional game of Spin-the-Bottle that cast members play on opening night. Is she going to embarrass herself beyond measure? Are the older girls ever going to take her seriously - & are they even very nice people? Does the boy she likes like her back? Will her best friend ever talk to her again? Middle school girls are going to feel like this book has been written about them.
October 27, 2013
Phoebe Hart just recently started middle school. It is a big change for her, but one of the things that get her very excited is being in the drama club. Phoebe hopes to be a great actress some day and drama club with help her get there. Throughout Phoebe's middle school experience she notices that everyone is changing in everyway possible. While Phoebe as lots of fun in drama club the night of the play she learns the before show tradition: a game of spin the bottle. Phoebe is very nervous. Who will the bottle land on? What will happen next? Read the book and find out.
I particulary liked this book. It was very suspenseful. It always had you questioning and wanting to know what was going to happen next. I couldnt stop reading it because I just kept wanting to know what was going to happen. I htought the character development was good. Everytime they brought in a new character they would give some background to that character, but it was just enough background that you werent drownding in detail. I would recomend this book. I do think that the book was a little to young so I would say it is for a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it.
I particulary liked this book. It was very suspenseful. It always had you questioning and wanting to know what was going to happen next. I couldnt stop reading it because I just kept wanting to know what was going to happen. I htought the character development was good. Everytime they brought in a new character they would give some background to that character, but it was just enough background that you werent drownding in detail. I would recomend this book. I do think that the book was a little to young so I would say it is for a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it.
November 16, 2008
Spin the Bottle by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
This book was lighthearted and funny. I was reminded almost instantly what is was like to a Middle School girl again!
This is a story about Phoebe and her best friend Harper as they enter the sixth grade and finally have the chance to join the Drama Club. This is something Phoebe has dreamed about since she was very little and she heard rumors of the traditional game played on opening night...Spin the Bottle. Phoebe didn't consider herself a nerd or an ugly, but she did think she was decent actress that had a look that could get her far, especially in the Drama Club. Harper and Phoebe experience Drama Club drama first hand and learn to make decisions that really do distinguish them from the crowd. Of course there is the love story that takes place, wouldn't be a Middle School book without a little romance right?
Good book for young readers or an adult wanting a break (*wink*) :)
This book was lighthearted and funny. I was reminded almost instantly what is was like to a Middle School girl again!
This is a story about Phoebe and her best friend Harper as they enter the sixth grade and finally have the chance to join the Drama Club. This is something Phoebe has dreamed about since she was very little and she heard rumors of the traditional game played on opening night...Spin the Bottle. Phoebe didn't consider herself a nerd or an ugly, but she did think she was decent actress that had a look that could get her far, especially in the Drama Club. Harper and Phoebe experience Drama Club drama first hand and learn to make decisions that really do distinguish them from the crowd. Of course there is the love story that takes place, wouldn't be a Middle School book without a little romance right?
Good book for young readers or an adult wanting a break (*wink*) :)
February 4, 2016
Typical middle school story: It's Phoebe's first year in middle school and she's looking to fit in but her attempts to befriend the cool drama girls alienates her best friend Harper. It seems awfully convenient that Phoebe's mother is a shrink and Harper is intellectually gifted; they serve to provide the "just be yourself" platitudes and help Phoebe get her head straight about living on the Entirely New Planet that is middle school.
January 13, 2011
"Spin The Bottle" is a very well written book. I liked it a lot but the only thing I didn't like about it was the fact that the main character was so rude to her fellow 7th graders in the drama club try outs. But in the end its very good, interesting, drama filled and funny. I like that I can relate to it.
December 20, 2011
I thought this was a wonderful book, it is about these two bestfriends who are going to do drama together. But the one girl is very quiet and the other girl is very outgoing, but together they are best friends. Soon to find out, they have to play spin the bottle with the people at drama because it is an old tradition of drama members! Read the book to find out what happens next!!
May 22, 2012
The book Spin the Bottle is about a girl named Phoebe who is basicley lost in middle school. She has a crush, she wants to be in drama class, and wants to fit in, but it all doesn't just work that way. I wonder if she could handle all this drama? Or if she even has a shot at becoming one of the big girls in school? It all depends on HER...
July 20, 2015
this is SUCH a good book! i seriosly read it in 1 day! the cover looks decieving but me and Hannah read it and we both loved it...it is about this girl and she wants to go in to middle school looking like a young actress but things chsnge a lot! her and her best friend split up because things arent working out.....and yeah! so u kinda have to read it to see what i mean!!!
March 27, 2013
Oh, the horrors of middle school! Can't we all relate to the seemingly unlimited potential for embarrassment and permanent scarring?
"Harper thinks that the lingering memory of childhood cafeteria-oriented trauma accounts for at least one-third of all cases of adult-onset anxiety, and I have to agree. There just wasn't any easy way to get through a school lunch."
"Harper thinks that the lingering memory of childhood cafeteria-oriented trauma accounts for at least one-third of all cases of adult-onset anxiety, and I have to agree. There just wasn't any easy way to get through a school lunch."
September 16, 2013
I liked this book. It was about a girl who joined the drama club and every year the club plays spin-the-bottle. She's not very comfortable playing the game but since the popular girl (Darla) plays it and she wants to impress Darla, so she does it too. This book is a quick read and I think most of us girls can relate to most of this.
April 22, 2009
Reading this took me back to junior high, 7th and 8th grade. I remember how intimidating it was after middle school. The author really captures the feeling, as well as how friendships change and grow.
June 10, 2009
6th&up. A perfect read for the tween girl set- full of middle school issues and angst like fights with your best friend, finding the OOMA (Object of My Affection), and searching for a place to belong while still being true to yourself.
May 2, 2012
Cute book really well written. I love little books like this to keep my mind busy. I loved how the author really captured how it is like to be in middle school and it was also really funny I couldn't help laughing out loud at some things that Pheobe said. Really cute and well written book. :)
May 5, 2012
read with a Grade 4 student with LD - the themes were a bit above her head in this one, and she didn't love it (too much focus on kissing and yucky stuff like that!). Good book for the pre-teen crowd.
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February 24, 2009nothing yet i will keep you updated
August 17, 2009
this book was really good
although very dramatic it kind of related to what really happens in middle school
i really recommend this for kids in middle school!!!
although very dramatic it kind of related to what really happens in middle school
i really recommend this for kids in middle school!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews