Carly has lived in North Carolina all her life; her best friend Arlene moved there in second grade. At 12, Carly is beginning to realize that other kids make fun of Arlene’s bony arms and legs and of her assuredness; short and plump and awkward, Carly longs to be liked. The girls’ relationship is nicely plotted, and it is reflected in the novel they are writing of doomed Atlantis and its twin princesses, Eva and Lydia. The girls write together in Arlene’s attic room with stars on its ceiling. Contemporary chapters in Carly’s voice alternate with the Atlantis tale, mirroring the conflicts and resolutions in the girls’ lives (mirrors play a big role in both stories). Trying out for the class play, parental pressure to excel, and liking the boy who doesn’t like you loom as large as they do in real-life seventh grade. As the girls’ lives change—Carly shifts her allegiance—their princesses cope with their own crises, and eventually, everyone finds a new way to cope. While the language can be sharp and lovely, the narrative occasionally clunks and does not proceed smoothly. Still, the concept is appealing and will find its audience. (Fiction. 10-12)
