Maggie, the new girl at Berkley Prep, gleefully joins a secret club reserved for the super-rich but grows increasingly uncomfortable with the group’s weekly ritual: posting their classmates’ secrets on The Wall. When these writings are discovered, Maggie stands to lose everything—her cute boyfriend, her place at Berkley and her newfound status. Zindel zooms in for an extreme close-up on New York City affluence. Incessant references to high-end designers, hip restaurants, NYC cross-streets and Hamptons hotspots will leave Midwestern teens (or even city kids without big bucks) feeling out-of-the-loop. Even with Maggie as a witty, balanced intermediary, the high-class cues come too fast and too often. How many teens know about Eames furniture or steaks from The Palm? Swift narration, keen character development and authentic teen banter repair some name-dropping damage. In the final pages, teens will find themselves questioning not only their current fashion choices, but also the implications of truth within their families and school communities. (Fiction. YA)
