Mikey and Margalo are two best friends attempting to navigate the difficult life of junior high. Mikey is a tomboy with an abrasive personality, whereas Margalo, despite her poor economic status, is well-dressed and has potential to be popular. Junior high proves to test their friendship as they work out where exactly they fit in at their new school. However, their adventures are fairly shallow. Even though both Mikey and Margalo have interesting family situations that could provide interesting themes for the novel, this fact is glazed over and never addressed, which was disappointing to me. At one point Margalo has a run-in with some popular girls when they discover she wears second-hand clothes, and this trouble also seems to be dealt with superficially. This might be a good read for a young girl looking for something to entertain her on the beach, but I don't feel that it has much literary value. The plot is weak, and while the characters have potential to be interesting they are mostly predictable and remind me more of elementary students than junior high students.
What do You think about It's Not Easy Being Bad (2002)?
