April Bowers misses her best friend -- make that her only
friend -- Haley, who moved away over the summer. So she's
dreading going back to school. When she gets partnered up
in gym class with Britney Taylor, most popular girl in
school, it seems like her day is just getting worse. But
then she gives Britney a lip gloss and earns admission to
the most popular lunch table at school. As she gets drawn
deeper into Britney's clique, April has to deal with the
fact that putting up with Britney's shallowness and casual
cruelty is the price she has to pay for her own new-found
popularity. And then Britney makes April sign THE LIPSTICK
LAWS, which give the clique control over everything about
April, from her weight to her choice in boyfriends to which
parts of the mall she is allowed to visit.
Some of this is a bit over the top -- such as when April
tells Britney that she is new in school and, because she
felt invisible the year before, honestly believes that no
one will realize that she actually sat behind Britney in
math class. Everybody keeps saying what a nice girl April
is (though there's little evidence of this in the tactics
April chooses to use when fighting back against Britney
once April becomes a "Lipstick Lawbreaker"). But there are
a number of truly funny moments, and April learns a lot
about the true nature of friendship along her roller-
coaster journey back towards being a nice person.
Yet, underneath all the humor and the snarking, April (who
is a self-proclaimed addict to bra stuffing) is learning an
equally important lesson about body image and self-
acceptance. Part of that lesson is that other people have
body image problems too, even perfect Britney, who once had
a weight issue and had to live down the nickname "doughnut."
At Penford High School, Brittany Taylor is the queen bee.
She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of
friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone’s life with a
snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask the
unfortunate few who have crossed her.
For April Bowers, Brittany is the answer to her prayers.
April is so unpopular, kids don’t know she exists. One lunch
spent at Brittany’s table, and April is basking in the glow
of popularity.
But Brittany’s friendship comes with a high price tag, and
April decides it’s not worth the cost. Inspiring and
empowering, this is the story of one girl who decides to
push back.
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