Girls Acting Catty

Annabelle Unleashed #2

by Leslie Margolis

What's harder to deal with than a group of boys who act like dogs? How about a clique of catty mean girls? Annabelle has just figured out how to survive in junior high school. She's made great friends, her teachers are nice, and she's got lots of tricks up her sleeve for taming those pesky boys. But now she and her friends must confront a whole new brand of headache-- the mean girl clique. At first Taylor and her friends were out to get Annabelle's bff Rachel, but soon the whole group is involved. Their friendship is getting tenser by the minute -- unless Annabelle can save the day again?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Teen, Fiction

179 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Leslie Margolis is author of numerous books for children, including the Maggie Brooklyn Mysteries and the Annabelle Unleashed series. Her novel, Boys Are Dogs, was turned into the Disney Channel movie Zapped, starring Zendaya. Leslie’s most recent books, If I Were You, We Are Party People and Ghosted, are published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Leslie lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her two kids have read some of her books, and think they are okay. For more information, please visit www.lesliemargolis.com.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

At First Sight: Having gotten the hang of boys at her school, six grader Annabelle is about to face a tougher adversary: sixth-grade girls!

So far, Annabelle has been oblivious to the other girls in sixth grade, happily enclosed in her group of friends, until they land on the sights of the mean-girl clique of their grade: Taylor and the Three Terrors.

At the beginning, Annabelle doesn't want to get into it, as she doesn't know the other girls well enough to like them or dislike them; and she has her mom's wedding to worry about, not to mention the fact that she might be crushing on her soon-to-be stepbrother.

But soon, Annabelle realizes that whether she wants it or not, she is in the middle of it all; and that dealing with girls is far more difficult than with boys.

Second Glance: I really liked the first book about Annabelle's adventures - Boys are Dogs - but I have to say that I didn't find Girls Acting Catty quite as charming, though I've totally been on Annabelle's shoes when your friends are telling you to dislike someone though you're not sure you do, sometimes they are right and somethings they aren't but it's very annoying anyway.

And I think the book captures that very well. How even good friends can act questionably specially when you're 12 and being a girl feels so complicated, but other than that I didn't feel there was much to this book.

Bottom Line: Girls Acting Catty is a nice MG read, though I don't think it's my favorite.

[Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls Acting Catty is the sequel to Boys Are Dogs. Having not read the first novel, I was worried I would not understand anything, but Margolis catches the reader up to speed fairly easily and quickly.

Annabelle was a wonderful character, and I couldn't help but to laugh at her "Firsts" as I remembered mine. Margolis really captured those moments of how it feels to be a tween and she made it real. Everything Annabelle was going through felt legitimate. Her depiction of Annabelle was wonderful as well, and she was an easy character for me to relate to (despite the fact that I'm past my tween years).

The secondary characters were wonderful as well. Taylor had me wondering if she was "catty", or if she was a nice person underneath it all. Rachel is a totally awesome best friend, and the other girls and boys were entertaining.

I loved how Margolis really hit on something that everyone does in life: gossip. Let's be honest, girls can be vicious, and Margolis shows the tween side of it all. I loved the messages this novel presented in the end, and the message elementary/middle-schooler's can receive from this.

Highlights: I have to admit, I totally love the Annabelle's dog, Pepper. Jason (Annabelle's soon to be stepbrother), was a great character to add to the mix as well, and I found myself enjoying the novel more whenever he popped in (mostly because I found Annabelle's reactions to him amusing).

Lowlights: I just wanted a bit more drama. The things that happened did not seem like it was that big of a deal. At times, I also found myself rolling my eyes at Annabelle's actions sometimes, but she is a kid, after all.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually don't like giving out bad reviews but i only have one word to describe this book: cliche. The girl becomes friends with popular group and her friends think shes betrayed them before she realizes the popular group is mean and her old friends were better. Thats basically the plot (at least to me)which has already been used way too many times. Sorry to anyone who liked this book. The comparing girls to cats and boys to dogs was kinda creative....but thats pretty much the only good thing about this book. and again this is my own personal opinion.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Caroline if you see this I wanna thank you for lending me the books I enjoyed reading them.

To other people out there this book isn't all that bad if you enjoy the kind of books where it talks about girls and all the problems they face.

P.S. Caroline, is it ok if I give the books back to you the first or second day of school??????????

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Borrowed from my daughter's personal library when we "played library" :-). Maybe I'd have liked it more if I was 10! Annabelle takes forever to clue into the obvious antics by Taylor and her clique; she's too dense to be believable.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls Acting Catty was a fun, refreshing sequel to Boys Are Dogs which I read a couple of weeks ago. Margolis sees perfectly into the mind of a sixth grade girl, Annabelle was very believable and likable. I liked how she could stand up for herself and was a really good friend. In Girls Acting Catty, Annabelle had to deal with some mean girls and some of their remarks even made me wince- ah the fond memories of sixth grade. It’s a very hard grade and of course filled with a lot of firsts. Annabelle experienced getting her first bra and learning how to shave her legs, but all of these her mom helped her out with. Annabelle’s mother was very cool and easygoing, but she didn’t have that big of a role in the book. That was one thing that got me a little confused all the characters. Annabelle has four best friends, and sometimes I couldn’t keep track of who was who. Her best friend Rachel was a nice friend and she was perfect for Annabelle. I really liked Jason, her stepbrother. He was a fun character and he added a lot to the novel.

In addition to the characters, I really liked the plot. It was something a lot of girls have to deal with- bullies. Margolis, as she did with Boys Are Dogs, added her own twist to the plot and she did a great job of showing how Annabelle matured from the beginning of the book to the last page. Annabelle also learned a lot about friendship and what it means to be a real friend. I was glad I got to see more of Pepper in this book and even met a new character- Yumi’s cat. In the end I would recommend this to any girls eleven and up. It’s a realistic, funny, and honest look at the life of a sixth grade girl and is filled with likable characters and a unique plot. I’m anxious to see where Margolis takes Annabelle and her friends next.

I also really like the covers of these novels (Boys Are Dogs and Girls Acting Catty), they’re so simple yet represent the story perfectly. I wonder what pet will be idolized on the cover of the third book?

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

[Reading Vacation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to Annabelle in Boys Are Dogs and I dove right into her next adventure in Girls Acting Catty. This time around, Annabelle learns first-hand just how spiteful tween girls can be to each other.

If there is one thing that is important to a tween girl, it is her girlfriends. We share secrets, have inside jokes, and always stand by each other. Annabelle has a great group of friends, but she finds herself daydreaming of being accepted by the popular crowd – Taylor and the Terrible T’s. These so-called popular girls are really a bunch of mean girls who only think about themselves. Annabelle gets caught up in all the girl-drama and learns a valuable lesson about what being a true friend means.

There’s drama on the home front for Annabelle as well. Her mother is marrying her boyfriend Ted, and Annabelle will soon have a step-brother named Jason. For so many kids, a blended family is a reality, and I like that Leslie Margolis included it in the plot. Annabelle is freaked out and I can’t blame her. The interactions between Annabelle and Jason had me shaking my head and laughing.

I really liked the strong bond between Annabelle and her mother. I am close with my mother, so I could relate to this aspect of Annabelle’s life. It was fun to read about the tween “firsts” that Annabelle shares with her mother.

Girls Acting Catty is a quick and charming book that any tween girl would enjoy.

RATING

4 Liked

COVER COMMENTS

Look at those gossipy girls whispering! The cute little kitten looks like it is wondering why these girls are telling secrets. This cover is a great follow up to the Boys Are Dogs cover.

[Symone Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book, "Girls Acting Catty" by Leslie Margolis, the story takes place in Harlem. Annabelle goes through the middle school life. She learns about how girls can be extreemly catty. Her school year started off good. She made an amazing group of friends named Rachel, Emma, Claire, and Yumi. She also has her pet dog, Pepper.

As well as dealing with school, she finally gets use to living with Dweeble. At least until they announced their engagement. The engagement threw Annabelle off. She wasnt exactly ready for such a permanent step in their relationship. While trying to adjust to this at home, she has to deal with the meanest clique there is at school. Taylor and the three terrors, which really stand for Taylor and her three friends. (One of them, named Hannah. These girls are what you call the "populars." They think they are to cool for anything and are on a higher level than everyone at school. They don't like Annabelle and her friends. Although Taylor is sometimes nice to her. This causes Annabelle to feel torn between the two groups. She also talks about her first crush in this book. He was her step-brother, Jason. All of the gossip, exclusion, and cattiness reveals the theme that girls can be very catty.

I really liked this book. I encourage people to read it because it talks alot about the truth in things. At the end of the book I believe Annabelle comes to the conclusion that ALL girls can be catty including herself. Even though these girls are in sixth grade they still have similar issues that I can relate too. High-school is just like that but twenty times worst! This is a very good book!

[Jessica Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica Mitchell, 10- (11 tomorrow)
Review for Girls Acting Catty
Leslie Margolis


I liked this book. A lot. I was very attracted to the cover when i saw it on a bestsellers shelf in barnes and noble, so I bought it with my birthday money.
Recently i've been really interested in the tween chick-lit books that involve boys, and other things girls have to know. One part that was really helpful was the step-by-step instructions given by Annabelle's mom on how to shave your legs-my mom said she wants me to start this summer when I have to start wearing shorts.
Annabelle's group of friends were sort of ignorant, which added to the excitement of the story. What I mean is, when they thought Jesse stole Joe from Emma, Joe was actually the one to blame and they didn't see that. Towards the end of the story Annabelle seemed sort of ignorant-through out the story, actually. She didn't realize Terrible T (Taylor) Was the bad guy until the very last few pages of the book.
I guess it's because they're young and they're still learning everything. Ya know?

I don't intend to read that other book by Leslie Margolis-I knew that from the start, which is when I saw it on the 'DON'T MISS' section. Maybe i should be more specific, I want to read Boys Are Dogs, but not Girl's Best Friend.

I don't even know why.

I liked this book enough to recommend it to one of my best friends, Lauren. I know she'll like it because she just finished a book called 'Princess In The Spotlight', which is very, very chick-lit.

[The Bookologist · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Girls Acting Catty, Margolis will embark you on a journey of your tween years, packed with drama, gossip, fights, crushes, and friendships. This was a very fun and adorable novel with a great touch of humor too!

Margolis's writing is fun and quirky. She knows what a tween would like, the dialogues were quirky, the transitions were quick and fast-paced, etc... I loved the whole idea of this book and it really shows you the 'tween' world.

The characters seemed very realistic and they were very fun and adorable. Annabelle is a great friend to have and she'll always be there for you. On the other hand, Taylor was always being the leader and got everything the way she wanted it to be. She's the typical 'biatch' in any sixth grader's life.

Margolis brought me back to my tween days and made me re-live getting my 'firsts!' It was fun to watch Annabelle experience shaving her legs, to getting and wearing her first bra, getting first crushes, etc… I also liked how her mom helped her out and was a 'cool' mom. Cool moms are always lay back!

There was a lot of gossip which I absolutely loved! Every tween loves gossiping about boys, who they hate, and what they think of someone. As I read this novel, I always said to myself "Oh! I used to think that about my classmate too!" It was a great flashback and my memories of my tween life started coming back to me.

This is a great reminiscent of your sixth grade life. A cute tween novel that fills you out on drama and gossips!

[Bria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Annabelle (who was introduced in the first book- Boys Are Dogs) who recently moved from her all-girls school to a real live middle school. In the first book, she makes all new friends (you can learn more about this in the first book) and gets a puppy who ends up helping her get through her first couple of months in middle school. This book follows up with her friends all having an encounter with the most popular girls in school. Throughout this book,Annabelle learns how to handle situations with mean girls.

Cover- I thought the cover was really cute (even though the cat on the front looked a little possessed...oh well.)

Plot- I liked the story a lot. It was sooo amazing where it is my favorite book in the world, but it was good.

Characters- I liked the way the characters were developed. They can relate to you in many different ways.

Author's Writing- I liked the style the author wrote this book in. She didn't use so much description and detail that would overwhelm you, but she didn't use too little to where it became vague. She used the perfect amount, not to mention the story was kind of funny at times.

Recommend- To girls in middle school.

Overall Thoughts- I really liked this book. It was kind of short, but that is fine with me because I still liked the book.

[Ava Lambert]

I thought Girls Actin Catty was a good book. It was about a girl named Annabelle who faces school problems and life problems. She gets made fun of by the mean girls because say she has hairy legs. Also Annabelle realizes that those girls aren't her real friends. On top of that has to start to wear a bra. Which she didn't want to do. Plus her mom is re-marring a guy named ted. Ted is the father of the boy she likes at school.I think that the theme of the book is don't be friends with girls who make fun of you. And your true friend are the ones you should trust. Also don't judge a book by its cover. This is because she thought her crush was cute on the outside. But, when she got to know him he tried to take away her dog, Pepper from her. The Genre of the book is realistic fiction. This is because this can happen in real life,but this story isn't exactly a true story. I think that tHis book would be more for girls than boys. I like this writer alot. i was very interested since the beginning of the book. I was like hooked really into the book.My eyes would come off of it. By at the end it kind of got a little bit boring. I liked how the author created the characters. Its like he made them come alive. But, overall i really really liked this book.

[Emily M · Rating 3 out of 5]

~Title: Girls Acting Catty ~Author: Leslie Margolis ~ Pages: 179~ Genre: Comedy and Humor; Realistic Fiction.

What’s harder to deal with than a group of boys who act like dogs? The answer is a group of catty mean girls. Annabelle just figured out how to survive middle school and she met a new group of friends- Rachel, Umi, Emma and Clare. But one night when they were out trick or treating she ran in to Taylor Stanfield, the mean, popular girl of the story. Taylor and her friends spotted Annabelle and her group of friends. Taylor stated in a snotty way, “What are you supposed to be,” and “Wow! How much candy did you get, none?” Both groups left for home after this conflict. Annabelle realized that she never thought about how to tame all the catty mean girls!

Girls Acting Catty is the sequel to Boys are Dogs. I thought it was a cute book and a fast read. I would suggest this book to a tween more so than a young adult. I enjoyed this book because there was drama that I could relate to, and the fact that it is written in first person kept me reading. I never read the first book, Boys are Dogs, but Leslie Margolis catches the reader up to speed fairly easily and quickly.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by hoopsielv for TeensReadToo.com

Readers were first introduced to Annabelle in Leslie Margolis' novel BOYS ARE DOGS.

After training the boys at school and her puppy, Pepper, Annabelle is back and as strong-willed as ever! She's adjusted to her new school and life with her mom's boyfriend, Ted. She's found some cool friends, too.

Things take a sharp turn when her mom and Ted decide to get married. Her future stepbrother, Jason, is coming for a visit. To make matters even worse, Jason becomes Pepper's new favorite friend!

At least she's got her friends to get her through: or does she? The girls in the popular crowd take notice of Annabelle. Taylor seems to be the leader and knows just how to rope everyone in to her ways. Annabelle has to decide whether to join this clique or stick with her old buddies. What's a girl to do?

GIRLS ACTING CATTY doesn't disappoint. I was hoping this sequel would live up to my expectations, and it did! Annabelle is facing many choices and challenges while on the brink of becoming a teenager. This book will definitely leave the reader ready and waiting for Annabelle's next adventure.

[Stephanie Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book!!! It was about a sixth grader, so I could relate to it in some ways.
The best part of the book was when Annabelle was at her mother's wedding, and Taylor, a mean girl, asked her if she wanted to hang out with her and her mean friends after they got mad at her. Annabelle tells her that she doesn't really want to. That was the best part, I think, because she stood up for herself instead of falling under Taylor's crowd insted of her own friends.
I think the people who should read this book are the people that just left sixth grade. I would not recommend it to anyone going into sixth grade, if you are not ready to leave elementry school. This book could make you think that you will be teased because you don't shave your legs. I think someone who has been in sixth grade would understand this book better. They would know what is was like to be in sixth grade and not worry about it.
I think the title of this book fits really well! It tells about sixth grade girls, and how some can be sweet, and some can be catty. It also is good because the ending word in the book is MEOW.

[Madelyn Goodale · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!

I thought this book was very funny. This book is about a girl named Annabelle and she lives with her mom and her mom is dating a guy and Annabelle doesn't like him, little does she know her mom is to be engaged with her boyfriend. She has a dog named Pepper and she is very fond of her soon-to-be-stepbrother. The book is about basically her journey to the wedding and she looses and gains a few friends. My favorite part of the book is when Annabelle and her mom went shopping for the wedding. When Annabelle comes home, her soon-to-be-stepbrother gives her a hug which causes her to drop her bags and all the contents lying within. The funny part about it is Annabelle has come to the age where she started needing a bra, so that's one thing they shopped for, and that's the exact bag she dropped and she got super embarrassed and she ran up to her room after and hid until dinner. PRICELESS! My least favorite part would be when Taylor and her mean friends were being mean to Annabelle and her friends. I just don't like it when people bully others. Its very ironic because later in the book Annabelle and Taylor become close friends. I really liked this book.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book, and a fast read. I would have to say that it is more a tween read than young adult. But it was still cute, and boy did it bring back some memories of my school days!

The book is about a girl named Annabelle who has a great group of friends but she still can't help but think of what her life would be like being friends with Taylor and the Three Terrors. When Annabelle's wish comes true she doesn't think that she would lose everything that meant the most to her in just a few seconds.

This is a great book for young readers to read, I think. It shows exactly how middle school and high school is. It also shows that just because you want something doesn't mean that you should go after it because it seems better than what you have. You need to remember that the things that you have now are once what you had always hoped for! Great message through this book..

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book that I wouldn't hesitate to put in the hands of any 8- to 12-year-old girl. The plot and characters are entirely believable, and definitely gave me flashbacks to middle school. There are good friends and false ones, as well as realistic struggles for a family that is essentially good and loving. I haven't read the first book in this series and thought this one stood on its own just fine.

As an adult, I didn't absolutely love this book, but that's ok. If you are an adult who enjoys good kid/teen fiction, there are more compelling choices. If you are a kid who reads voraciously, by all means add this to your list!

(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Bloomsbury!)

[Jacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that Annabelle has tamed the dogs, she wants to train the cats: snobby mean girl Taylor and her posse. But, Taylor comes out nice and friendly toward Annabelle, even though Rachel has told her differently. So, Annabelle starts to convert to mean girl and makes a huge mistake. Then, Annabelle realizes that she has her own best friends from the beginning.
This book was immature and really unrealistic. Girls are not taking their best friends out of the country on Spring Break! Especially 6th graders. At least, not at my school. Also, Annabelle said some things that were obvious and it made you feel like you were listening to a five year old who had time traveled forward and was in 6th grade, but she had no idea how to handle it. So the book ended up making the author sound like she was trying too hard to make the girls sound more grown up than they were.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be a high-interest, easy read for some reluctant tween girls. It is a sequel to Boys are Dogs, which is a popular title in my classroom library, especially for beginning of the year seventh grade girls. Girls acting Catty does not connect animal (cat) behavior to human behavior in the same fun way the first book (dogs) does. It does involve a simple plot that addresses the sometimes cruel relationships between girls, the trials of blending families, and even a hint of how to deal with the complex feelings of having a first crush. In all, I think some students would enjoy his light read, but also understand how many of my seventh grade readers quickly move on to more complex works.

[Ana Bracamontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of Drama.I really wanted to read this book because it's so interesting and it talks almost about Gossoping and eye contacting.From this book i learned that girls are the ones who make the most Drama parties. For my experience i learned that drama is for really inzane people and i'm not that type of person. I truly recommend this book to all Drama clubs to start reading this book because once you read it you'll understand the reality of Drama and bullying.. I really enjoy this book because that was me when i was in 7 grade with too much drama going on. I got tired of Drama so i decided to become a nice person and show everyone that i've changed and i'm a new person again.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis is a funny, fictional book about a girl named Annabelle, who after suffering boys, has to suffer some mean girls. While Annabelle is trick-or-treating with her friends on her street, she bumps into some girls at her school who she never really knew. They acted really mean to Rachel, Annabelle's friend and that ruins the night for everyone. Soon at school the girls start act mean then nice to Annabelle. Annabelle's friendship is starting to break with Rachel and her relationship with Taylor (one of the girls), is still forming. My favorite part of the book is when Annabelle realizes that Taylor is a no good person after mistaking her for a sweet, nice girl. If you like books about girls, this is a great book for you.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONTINUED UPDATE STATUS...

so I feel sorry for Annabelle because her dog, Pepper loved her-UNTIL- Jason, her soon-to-be stepbrother came. He taught Pepper tricks, and gave him treats. Though Annabelle likes Jason, she is very mad. That is HER dog.
Sometimes, books annoy me because they talk too much about the same "problem." This book is not like that. Annabelle is brave, and doesn't complain. She would be my friend is she was real. Though this is NOTHING compared to the Clique series, it still is one of my favorite books. I will read the sequel. But wait... This is the 2nd book! oh well! =P

[Addison Children's Services · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to Boys are Dogs. Annabelle, who was last seen using her new-found dog training skills to train the boys at her school, is now having trouble with the girls. She is caught in a war between her current group of BFFs and a group that includes the most popular girls in the school. Annabelle thinks she can be friends with both, and it backfires. But all is happy by the end. I liked the first one better.

[Estelle Acosta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my favorite book when i was 9 years old. i loved reading it, i read it like 5 times.

[Amanda Grigg · Rating 3 out of 5]

:)

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

It takes off right after the first book and it is now Halloween and Annabelle is going trick or treating with her new friends from school. They all decide to go as a pack of fish and end up running into some girls from school and one of them is called terrible T. Taylor, Nikki and Hannah make up this group of girls and up until now Annabelle hasn't had any issues with any of them being that she has classes with most of them. They have also been nice to Annabelle up until tonight when they made fun of the groups costumes. Later that week Annabelle finds that the girls are no longer nice to her and Taylor starts making fun of Annabelle for not shaving her legs and her shoe laces looking like clown shoes. At home her mother has recently gotten engaged to Dweed "Tim" and they are busy planning the wedding only it ends up usually in a mild argument. One of Annabelles friends Yumi gets a cat and when she bring Pepper over to take to the park the cats attacks Pepper and Annabelle come to the realization that girls are like cat. As in one minute everything is fine and then the next it's not. During Thanksgiving Tim's son is down from Switzerland for the holidays and it seems like Annabelle might have a crush on him but she's not sure since she has never had these feelings before. They all go over to one of Tims old friends house for Thanksgiving and it turns out to be Taylors house. Annabelle tries her best to stay away from her but Taylors mom makes her include Annabelle. While singing karaoke they bond over their love of the play wicked and they end up having a good time together. Back at school Taylor ends up talking to Annabelle more in a friend way and starts inviting her to sit with them at the lunch table. Rachel and her old friends notice the change and ask Annabelle what is going on. Annabelle tries to tell them that Taylor isn't really that bad but they don't want any part of it. Emma, one of Annabelle's friends, starts dating a boy named Joe and shortly later in the week he ends up breaking up with her. Emma is heartbroken only to find out that he had got back together with Jesse, one of Taylors friends. While Emma was crying in the bathroom Taylor and her group walks in and says something that Annabelle had told Taylor about over the phone yesterday like "how Emma likes that Joe rolls his pants a 3/4 of an inch and thinks it's cute". Annabelle tries to explain what she meant but no one is having it and essentially Annabelle belong to no group. She stays home for a couple of days but then her moms wedding came and Annabelle didn't know if Rachel was going to end up coming. At the reception Taylor starts talking to Annabelle like nothing happened earlier that week and she has had enough of the bossy girl attitude and tells Taylor that she will not be in her group and she doesn't want to me told what to do and she would rather be a "nerd" like her true friends. Taylor just shrugs and says whatever and then looks for Annabelle now stepbrother. Rachels ends up being right behind Annabelle during the confrontation and all is forgiven. {this is just typical middle school drama between girls but I also felt like this was a younger version of mean girls. the reference to girls being like cats I think is actually a really accurate statement. was a fast and light read}

[Jordyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book, Girls Acting Catty by Leslie Margolis is about what Annabelle goes through while attending junior high school. The book starts with Annabelle and her group of friends trick or treating, until they come across a boy named Jackson, who gives the trouble. Annabelle realizes that boys can be a lot like dogs, so she uses her dog training program to make him and his group of friends go away. A few minutes later, Annabelle and her friends find themselves being made fun of by the mean girl, Taylor. Annabelle’s friends find Taylor evil, automatically making Taylor their enemy, while Annabelle feels drawn to Taylor. Or she at least doesn’t think Taylor is that bad. Over the chorus of a few days, since what happened on Halloween, Annabelle’s friends have only been talking about Taylor. They talked about how ugly she is, how mean she is, and how they were better than her. Annabelle still isn’t sure how to feel about Taylor, and decides to still act nice to her. Her friends weren’t completely mad at her, but didn’t understand how Annabelle couldn’t see the worse in her. While the drama is happening between Taylor and Annabelle's friends, Annabelle’s mom tells Annabelle that she and Ted, Annabelle’s stepdad, are going to get married. Annabelle feels overwhelmed, she feels weird around her friends, her mom is getting married, and during this she’s going through changes herself and realizes she’s going to have a brother. While Annabelle starts to feel a little isolated, since her mom is so set on the marriage, she feels unwelcome around her friends, and she feels different from the other girls at her school, she meets Nikki. Nikki was quick to become Annabelle and gave her an escape from her friends and family.
Girls Acting Catty, I think is a good book about finding who you are and how you perceive yourself when you're a teenager. But I don’t think it is in general a good book or a good piece of literature because it seemed a little immature and over-dramatic. I enjoyed reading parts of it, since I could relate to some of the situations Annabelle went through. But overall, to me, it was just mediocre.
Even if it was at the beginning of the book, I liked the trick or treating part. Since it really shows how cruel yet dramatic middle schoolers could be. I also think it shows how one situation leads to another, since what happened between Taylor and Annabelle’s group of friends and then how the two people interacted with each other after.
I’d give this book a 2 or a 3, since I would only recommend it to the people who I think would relate to it like I did. But, overall, I think I would keep it to myself since I didn’t enjoy the plot or the way things went.

[Anna S, · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not best

I liked this book. It talks all about that struggles with man girls and school drama. Any middle school or high school girl will tell you that this and worse is really what goes on. It kind of reminded me of the book The School for Good and Evil. Two girls fighting over one guy and the other girls that are there. Girls Acting Catty is something I would probably read again but not very often. And how she felt when she found out she had a crush on her stepbrother would have to be totally awkward!