From School Library Journal Grade 5-7. A story of several sixth-grade girls trying to find a place to belong amid old friends and new. Ernestine and Amanda are in different worlds， according to Amanda. The one thing they have in common is a best friend， Alicia. When Amanda decides to form a C.L.U.B. of Clever， Likable， Utterly Beautiful girls， and excludes Ernestine， it seems that Alicia may have to choose between her two friends. Ernestine must decide whether Alicia is a true friend or a snob. Dialogue and emotions run true， as do the problems the girls face， adding the dimensions necessary to bring the characters to life. These African-American girls speak， behave， and think like typical sixth graders， effectively establishing a bond with their audience. However， the time period is never clearly established， and there are not enough clues to establish the fact that the story is set several decades ago. Hence， readers may wonder why Amanda's friends are so excited that her father has a television and a record player. The reason for the animosity between the two main characters is never made clear， making the book of most interest to those who have read the previous titles about these girls. Finally， the alternating perspectives between Amanda and Ernestine may be a bit confusing to inexperienced readers. Still， this title provides a place of empathy for the many youngsters who will inevitably enter into their own struggle to find a place to belong.?Tammy J. Marley， Charles County Public Library， La Plata， MDCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information， Inc. Review Booklist Combines a sharply observed setting of middle-class African American life in the mid-1950s with the kind of everyday realistic friendship story children enjoy so much...will leave them wanting the next installment. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews