Dork diaries : tales from a not-so-fabulous life / Rachel Renée Russell.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Nikki Maxwell is starting eighth grade at a new school--and her very first diary is packed with hilarious stories and art in this SUPER SQUEE updated edition of the first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!

Nikki confesses all in her first diary ever: her epic battle with her mom for an iPhone, meeting her new soon-to-be BFFs Chloe and Zoey, falling for adorably sweet crush Brandon, dealing with her zany little sister Brianna's antics--and the immediate clashes with mean girl MacKenzie, who becomes Nikki's rival in a school-wide art competition.

Nearly 30 million books in print worldwide!

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

FRIDAY, AT HOME, 6:05 A.M. OMG!! I just had the most HORRIFIC nightmare! The worst in my entire life! I'm soooo FREAKED OUT I can barely write this. I'm having cold sweats, my heart is pounding, and my brain is … numb with such intense … anguish it feels like it's about to, um … EXPLODE! WHY?! I DREAMED I LOST MY DIARY AT SCHOOL ?!!!!!! YES!! At SCHOOL!! Like, how CRAZY is THAT?! The weird thing is that it seems like it actually happened. Because as soon as I woke up, all these detailed memories came flooding into my head, making me feel even more confused. I can't imagine NOT writing in my diary! It's like I'm addicted or something. In my dream I was so desperate that I found Brianna's old doodle book at the bottom of her toy box and started writing in that instead. But mostly I was FRANTIC that someone would find my diary and read all the SUPERpersonal, SUPERembarrassing, SUPERsecret stuff about AAAHHH!! That was me screaming. WHY? Because if I'm writing in BRIANNA'S DOODLE BOOK, that can mean only one thing…. I LOST MY DIARY AT SCHOOL YESTERDAY ?!! AAAHHH!!! © 2011 Rachel RenÉe Russell Excerpted from Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-Nikki Maxwell, self-professed dork and aspiring artist, has plenty of problems starting at a brand new private middle school in this tale (Aladdin, 2009) by Rachel Renee Russell. Her locker is right next to MacKenzie, the queen of mean girls; she can hardly speak around her crush Brandon; and she is desperate to hide the fact that she is attending on scholarship because her father is the school's exterminator. Chronicling her middle school highs and lows in a diary, Nikki includes all the humorous as well as embarrassing details. Lana Quintal is well-cast to voice the first title in this popular series. Her youthful voice is a match for Nikki's personality, providing authenticity for her observations and emotions. Her tone is appropriately cliched for MacKenzie, Nikki's nemesis and the most popular girl in school. Listeners will laugh even as they identify with Nikki's insecurities and her struggles to fit. The CD also includes a video interview with the author.-Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

Self-professed dork Nikki Maxwell chronicles her life as the new girl at Westchester Country Day School. Most of Nikki's diary entries focus on her embarrassing family trials and run-ins with exaggeratedly mean queen bee MacKenzie. The writing delivers fluffy sitcom-style humor for tweens. Font that resembles handwriting, humorous manga-like doodles, and comic sketches add authenticity to the format. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

When her father barters enrollment in a prestigious private school in exchange for his bug-extermination services, Nikki suddenly finds her life in turmoil. At Westchester Country Day, Nikki encounters ber-snobbish MacKenzie, the archetypal mean girl and her pack of "CCP"Nikki's acronym for the cute, cool and popularfriends. Nikki chronicles all of her new-girl angst and trepidations as well as her fledgling crush in her diary. Russell's narrative deftly captures the winsome vulnerability of a girl perched on the cusp of teenhood. The comical sketches, executed la Diary of a Wimpy Kid, add an element of self-deprecating humor to the tale. An abundance of up-to-the-minute pop-cultural references threatens to date this novel quickly. Nikki's ultimate realization that she needs to be true to herself comes across as genuine rather than contrived, however, so despite its modern trappings, Nikki's journey of self-discovery will appeal to preadolescent readers struggling to find their places in the world. (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.