Lauren's Beach Crush

Gr 5–8—Lauren Silver has liked Charlie Anderson for two years-admiring him from a distance every summer at her family's beach house. She's led all of her friends at school to believe that he's her actual boyfriend. By the end of summer, it just might be a reality, if her Love Plan-or Operation Cell Phone-works. This year, Chrissy gets to join the Silvers for their vacation at the beach. The classmate thinks Lauren is already dating Charlie, so Lauren tells Chrissy the truth about their lack of relationship and about her plan. Luckily, she's onboard. Once they arrive at the Silver's beach house, the two girls to hit it off and become BFFs. They spend time at the beach, at the library, and fill out magazine quizzes. Chrissy is not impressed by Charlie and does not hide her feelings about him. The Operation is not quite as easy to pull off as anticipated, but Lauren refuses to give up. With evenly paced plot twists, light drama, and crushes galore, Darling clearly remembers what being in middle school feels like. This first book in a series is a pitch-perfect tween read that belongs in most libraries.—Jesten Ray, Seattle Public Library, WA