April 20, 2009
In Quigley's first book, the heroine is an “overshare artist”: Becca cannot keep her thoughts to herself. Living in Pine Prairie, Minn., where “everyone sticks their cold, sniffling noses in each other's business,” Becca finds herself the catalyst of many dramas, especially after she creates a blog, Too Much Information, where under the name Bella, she records her (thinly veiled) fantasy version of her high school life (“Bella's greatest worry is that if she doesn't confess her deepest desires and choicest bits of gossip, she may explode, leaving her parents to clean up the gory mess”). Predictably, Becca's blog doesn't stay secret for long, causing additional turmoil among her friends and enemies alike. While Becca's personality can be over-the-top and some characters feel stereotypical (when her friend Jai comes out to her, Becca thinks, “the kick-ass wardrobe, the faux hawk, the love of show tunes, and the advanced baking skills all point the boy away from the path of heterosexuality”), readers seeking breezy but believable teenage drama will find it in spades. Ages 12–up.
April 1, 2009
Grades 7-10 Sophomore Becca just cant help sharing whatever is on her mind with whoever happens to be around. Her tendency to offer TMI (too much information) has resulted in her having only two friends: her cute-but-geeky freshman boyfriend and kind, shy Katie. When a new boy moves to their tiny Minnesota town, Becca and Katie discover a kindred spirit in the fashion-conscious Jai, who likes musical theater and baking. After Becca inadvertently and publicly humiliates her boyfriend, she decides to turn over a new leaf and confine her thoughts and fantasies to a blog, which she blithely assumes will be secret. Of course this plan fails big time, and Becca finds she has not only managed to alienate the entire school, she has inadvertently outed Jai. Quigley has created a charming and wholly believable narrator in the hapless but well-meaning Becca, as well as a host of interesting secondary characters, including sympathetic parents. Realistic details of teen social life in a small Midwestern town round out this slight but very entertaining offering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2009
Becca the "Overshare Queen" tries to mend her ways: instead of gossiping face-to-face, she posts secrets (including a good friend's gayness) on an anonymous blog. Naturally, people at her high school discover the blog. The implicit warning about the dangers of sharing information online is admirable, but a formulaic plot and awkward dialogue make the book little more than its message.
(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)