But at lunch, when I tell Kylee what Olivia said about my review, she says, “Oh, come on. It wouldn’t be funny if it was all nicey-nice.” After school Kylee and I get a ride from my mom to the public library. We’re supposed to be finding books on the Cherokee Trail of Tears (Kylee) and the Iroquois Confederacy (me) for reports due next week for multicultural history. But first we’re looking at the fiction in the YA nook to see if there are any new Creekside Clique books for Kylee or Princess of Paragonia books for me. Even though Kylee is the nicest person at Southern Peaks Middle School, she adores books about mean girls. Even though I’m the daughter of an orthodontist and a homemaker living in suburban sprawl, I devour books about heroic quests and tragic love. Maybe that’s not surprising. Readers love to read not only about themselves but also about characters who are as different from them as anyone could be. Half an hour later we’re checking out our books when Kylee says, “Autumn, look.”
