Becky Bryan is starting her junior year as a new student at Kent High School. The first day of school starts a week long contest to sell the most amount of subscriptions for the school newspaper. Whoever wins has a better chance of getting whichever role they want working for the paper. Becky wants to be editor but knows she's hindered by being a new student so she takes her subscription sales seriously.
By the end of the day she's already made 30 sales which provokes Victoria Heath who sees herself as the leader of her peers. Victoria waits for Becky in the girls lounge and informs her that outshining Victoria in any field will result in Becky being outcasted. Becky pays no mind to Victoria who decides to try and destroy Becky's reputation before she even has a chance to acquire one.
The night before the last day of the competition Victoria sneaks into the school and rearranged the public score board to make it look as though Becky is in the lead then spreads the rumor that Becky changed the score board herself to cheat. Little does Victoria know that Becky has acquired significantly more sales and once she's announced as the winner her name is cleared.
Hilary, Becky's new best friend, brings her four year old sister to school one day. This so happens to be a day when her and Becky are playing tennis before school. Victoria offers to watch the sister but soon runs to the tennis courts to say the little girl has ran away onto the roof.
The three then look and watch as the little girl falls off the roof onto a ledge. Hilary promptly faints and Becky orders Victoria to call the fire department while she climbs a telephone poll and walks the wire like a tightrope over to the ledge. There she sits with the child until the fire department gets them down. During this time the girl informs Becky that Victoria had taken her to the roof herself. Becky believes this was Victoria's revenge on Hilary for befriending Becky.
The weekend brings the first outing of the junior girls' horse club. Becky has been invited on the horseback ride by Hilary. Victoria arranges it so that everyone else comes early causing Becky to be stuck with the only horse left; the ill tempered Diablo. Becky is a skillful horsewoman and handles the horse magnificently, to Victoria's disappointment. The girls stop for lunch and Victoria suggests Becky stay behind and clean up their picnic area. She then places burs under Diablo's saddle blanket.
Ten minutes after the other girls have left Becky mounts the horse and is tossed off, with the fall spraining her back. She decides to remain still as to not damage her back more and assumes someone will come back for her when she does not appear. However no one comes back as Victoria insists Becky has not caught up with them because she must have had a hissy fit over having to clean the picnic area and stormed off home. Hilary doesn't believe this and spends the rest of the ride furious over Victoria's continuous insults of Becky.
After the ride is over Hilary learns that Diablo arrived back at the stable rider-less and that Becky's car is still parked in the stable garage. She quickly heads out looking for her friend and finds Becky struggling to walk back to the stables.
The weekend brings the first outing of the junior girls' horse club. Becky has been invited on the horseback ride by Hilary. Victoria arranges it so that everyone else comes early causing Becky to be stuck with the only horse left; the ill tempered Diablo. Becky is a skillful horsewoman and handles the horse magnificently, to Victoria's disappointment. The girls stop for lunch and Victoria suggests Becky stay behind and clean up their picnic area. She then places burs under Diablo's saddle blanket.
Ten minutes after the other girls have left Becky mounts the horse and is tossed off, with the fall spraining her back. She decides to remain still as to not damage her back more and assumes someone will come back for her when she does not appear. However no one comes back as Victoria insists Becky has not caught up with them because she must have had a hissy fit over having to clean the picnic area and stormed off home. Hilary doesn't believe this and spends the rest of the ride furious over Victoria's continuous insults of Becky.
After the ride is over Hilary learns that Diablo arrived back at the stable rider-less and that Becky's car is still parked in the stable garage. She quickly heads out looking for her friend and finds Becky struggling to walk back to the stables.
Hilary wants to take her straight to a doctor but Becky insists she has to get to the football game to cover it for the school paper. In dirty riding habits the girls arrive to the game on horseback and catch the attention of everyone which infuriates Victoria.
As Halloween arrives Becky plans a party for the group at an old barn. The party starts out with a scavenger hunt that everyone is thrilled over but the game ends with Tad, the star of the football team, spraining his ankle. Victoria jumps at the chance to blame this on Becky and starts spreading the rumor that Tad is furious at Becky and blames her for his accident.
As Halloween arrives Becky plans a party for the group at an old barn. The party starts out with a scavenger hunt that everyone is thrilled over but the game ends with Tad, the star of the football team, spraining his ankle. Victoria jumps at the chance to blame this on Becky and starts spreading the rumor that Tad is furious at Becky and blames her for his accident.
As everyone starts blaming Becky, Hilary decides to clear her friends name by inviting Tad to go to the football game with her and Becky, who he certainly does not blame for his injury. Victoria is yet again furious when she sees Becky and Tad arrive together and sit next to each other, showing everyone that there is no bad blood between them.
The next football game will be against Kent High School's biggest rival and the town is abuzz with anticipation. The local radio station decides to give some time to a program dedicated to the game and asks the principal to arrange the show. He asks a teacher to get it together and the teacher then asks Victoria to write out a ten minute skit for it. She refuses saying she's too busy with a dress fitting to do it so it gets offered to Becky. Becky writes a two person script with the intention of her and Tad performing it but gets quite a shock when the roles are given to Tad and Victoria and Victoria takes credit for writing it.
During the winter vacation Becky and Hilary go for a snowshoe hike, get caught in a blizzard, and lost. They try to dig a hole into a snowdrift for protection from the blizzard but end up finding a door in a stone cliff behind the snow. They manage to break the lock and inside they find an up-to-date home complete with electricity and telephone. The phone connects to a ranger station so they are able to get word to their families while they hunker down until the storm is over which ends up being the next day. A ranger comes for them and tells the unique house belongs to the daughter-in-law of the town's founder who uses it as a summer home.
Back at school after the holidays Victoria announces she will be taking a one month vacation to Florida. The school's newspaper editor comes down with scarlet fever and must quarantine for a month. This leaves Becky in charge of the paper and she decides to make changes.
The next football game will be against Kent High School's biggest rival and the town is abuzz with anticipation. The local radio station decides to give some time to a program dedicated to the game and asks the principal to arrange the show. He asks a teacher to get it together and the teacher then asks Victoria to write out a ten minute skit for it. She refuses saying she's too busy with a dress fitting to do it so it gets offered to Becky. Becky writes a two person script with the intention of her and Tad performing it but gets quite a shock when the roles are given to Tad and Victoria and Victoria takes credit for writing it.
During the winter vacation Becky and Hilary go for a snowshoe hike, get caught in a blizzard, and lost. They try to dig a hole into a snowdrift for protection from the blizzard but end up finding a door in a stone cliff behind the snow. They manage to break the lock and inside they find an up-to-date home complete with electricity and telephone. The phone connects to a ranger station so they are able to get word to their families while they hunker down until the storm is over which ends up being the next day. A ranger comes for them and tells the unique house belongs to the daughter-in-law of the town's founder who uses it as a summer home.
Back at school after the holidays Victoria announces she will be taking a one month vacation to Florida. The school's newspaper editor comes down with scarlet fever and must quarantine for a month. This leaves Becky in charge of the paper and she decides to make changes.
After witnessing a freshman get bullied in the halls and the school monitors not bothering to help she writes a scathing editorial. Later the same bully physically assaults a freshman causing him injury. Becky has to attend the student council disciplinary hearing as a witness. She then writes an article about proceedings with the perpetrator's name clearly stated.
The school is shocked to see someone being publicly called out and shamed for their misbehavior. When Victoria returns she runs wild with this and successfully starts turning the student body against Becky, including Hilary.
As the school year comes to an end Becky throws a giant circus themed party for her to reveal her real identity to her peers. Before the announcement she finds out she has been elected editor for the following school year and senior class president.
As the school year comes to an end Becky throws a giant circus themed party for her to reveal her real identity to her peers. Before the announcement she finds out she has been elected editor for the following school year and senior class president.
She then tells everyone that she is in fact Rebecca Bryan Royal, daughter of the famous Royal Circus owner, famed tightrope walker, and famed radio performer. She explains that she wanted to keep her identity secret because she wanted to make friends for who she is and not because of her fame or wealth. Everyone declares that they like Becky for herself, everyone except Victoria. Overtaken with jealousy Victoria tries to one-up Becky's announcement by announcing she will be going to an exclusive Italian school next year but no one cares.
- Victoria is called Virginia on page 29.
- The girls, including Hilary, leave Becky alone to clean up after breakfast and tell her to catch up with them when she's done even though this is her first time in this area. This is so strange and unlikely. It only took Becky 10 minutes to clean up, they could have waited and helped.
- Victoria is a sociopath. She's gonna let a child die to get revenge on Hilary and could have paralyzed or killed Becky with the horse stunt.
- This book is unique in that Becky's rival never sees the err of her ways and never makes peace with Becky nor apologizes. Victoria is bad from start to finish and has no redemption.
Overall this was an entertaining read. The chapters are short and non-repetitive. I did skim a few pages of the football games cause I really can't stand to read sports scenes but they weren't as bad as other books.
- The girls, including Hilary, leave Becky alone to clean up after breakfast and tell her to catch up with them when she's done even though this is her first time in this area. This is so strange and unlikely. It only took Becky 10 minutes to clean up, they could have waited and helped.
- Victoria is a sociopath. She's gonna let a child die to get revenge on Hilary and could have paralyzed or killed Becky with the horse stunt.
- This book is unique in that Becky's rival never sees the err of her ways and never makes peace with Becky nor apologizes. Victoria is bad from start to finish and has no redemption.
Overall this was an entertaining read. The chapters are short and non-repetitive. I did skim a few pages of the football games cause I really can't stand to read sports scenes but they weren't as bad as other books.
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