The Mean Girl Meltdown (Sylvie Scruggs Series #2)

by Lindsay Eyre, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Overview

In this companion to The Best Friend Battle, Sylvie Scruggs faces hockey sticks and mean-girl tricks -- and still comes out on top.

Sylvie Scruggs is finally in fourth grade, and that means she's old enough to join her town's junior ice-hockey team. Sylvie is thrilled to discover her years of skating pay off, as she quickly becomes one of the best players on the squad. But someone else is still better: Jamie Redmond, a fifth-grader who notoriously doesn't like fourth-graders. And, it turns out, she really doesn't like Sylvie.

Then someone starts pranking Sylvie at practice, loosening the top of her water bottle and replacing her special lotion with mayonnaise. Sylvie knows it must be Jamie, trying to psych her out and keep her from being selected as team captain. She enlists her friends Miranda, Josh, and Georgie to prove Jamie's guilt once and for all . . . but can they catch the mean girl before Sylvie has a meltdown of her own?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545620291
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Series:	Sylvie Scruggs Series , #2
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	13.40(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Lindsay Eyre received an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The Best Friend Battle is her debut novel. She lives with her husband and their five children in Cary, North Carolina. Please visit her website at www.lindsayeyre.com and follow her on twitter at @lindsayeyre.

Charles Santoso is a concept artist and illustrator who loves to draw very little things in a very little journal. He resides in Sydney, Australia. Please visit his website at www.charlessantoso.com and follow him at @minitreehouse.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Best Friend Battle:

"Eyre's laugh-out-loud debut novel captures the discovery of the opposite sex in a fun and realistic way.... Fans of Junie B. Jones will love the adventures of this heroine as they become engaged in this early chapter book." -- School Library Journal

"Funny and human and clever and wise. I really, really like this sparkling, racing, hilarious little gem." -- Hilary McKay, author of Saffy's Angel and Binny in Secret

"Two words: Sylvie Scruggs. Two more words: LOVE HER! Eyre nails it with this new kid on the block. (And here's a challenge: I dare you not to laugh out loud)." -- Barbara O'Connor, author of How to Steal a Dog and The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester

From the Publisher

2015-06-06
An opportunity to participate in an ice hockey league soon leads to drama for fourth-grader Sylvie. In this second lively adventure (The Best Friend Battle, 2015), Sylvie returns with another dilemma. This time, a sports rivalry carries over onto the ice when Sylvie discovers that Jamie, a formidable pitcher from the winning championship baseball team, is on Sylvie's new hockey team. With pluck and determination, Sylvie sets her sights on becoming the team captain. While Sylvie's attempts to impress her coach with her captainlike behavior result in some comical moments, Eyre reveals how Sylvie's bid for leadership is intertwined with her yearning to spend more time with her dad. She poignantly conveys Sylvie's efforts to claim some of her father's time amid the bustle of their expanding family. Eyre also captures Sylvie's boisterous, confident personality as she resolutely refuses to be daunted by Jamie and her perseverance as she strives to improve her hockey skills. Throughout the text, Hanson's illustrations depict Sylvie's escapades and occasional mishaps. Readers will sympathize with Sylvie as she becomes the victim of a series of pranks during practice, and they will understand her desire to retaliate. Though some will probably also understand that not all is as it seems, readers as well as Sylvie will benefit from the message that it's all too easy to make unwarranted assumptions. Readers will appreciate watching Sylvie determinedly working toward her goals. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews

Sylvie Scruggs, the plucky heroine of The Best Friend Battle, is in fourth grade now—old enough to join the city’s junior hockey league. As one of the better players, she has a shot at being team captain, a position she is eager to tackle. Unfortunately, her main competition is Jamie Redmond, a mean fifth grader who cannot stand Sylvie. To make matters worse, someone is pranking Sylvie at practice, making it even more difficult to focus on improving her shot. Each practice seems to be worse than the time before. But once Sylvie decides to focus on getting better, instead of being the best, things improve. Fans of Junie B. Jones or Clementine will fall in love with this impulsive and determined character. Readers will empathize with Sylvie’s anger and frustration with Jamie’s mistreatment, while recognizing the uncomfortable similarity to Sylvie’s own behavior towards a younger character. Plenty of humor, a little bit of suspense, and a strong supporting cast of characters (including Sylvie’s outrageous little twin brothers), makes this a winner with readers venturing into the world of chapter books. Reviewer: Heather Christensen; Ages 6 to 10.

Children's Literature - Heather Christensen