Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace by:K.D. McCrite

This is the second installment in the 'Confessions of April Grace' series.  It is told in first-person by April Grace, and tells the story of her not-so-normal everyday life.  In this book, April is starting junior high, and one of her best friends-Lottie-has started a clique and is leaving April Grace out.  Their clique is called the Lotties, but April and her other friend Melissa call them the 'Snotties'.  April does not understand where Lottie got the idea for a clique-she suspects the idea was from a visit Lottie took earlier in the year to her cousin-and finds them quite annoying.  The Lotties call April and her friend 'hicks', but April says she would much rather be a hick than be in a clique, because April finds hicks much nicer.  There is a whole lot of drama going on besides just cliques and hicks, though.  April's mother has not been acting like herself, and April is getting worried.  What's more, their pastor wants April's mom, Lily Reilly, to direct the Christmas play that year.  By the time comes for Lily to direct the play, her family is against the idea of her leading it in her condition.  Then April has the brilliant idea of having Isabel St. James direct it, because Isabel used to be an actress.  There is some conflict, though, because Isabel does not go to church, and she is very rude.  Also, at the beginning of the book, Isabel was in a car crash.  By the time the play rolls around, she has just gotten out of her cast.  To top it all off, Grandma now has two boyfriends! Yes, that's right, I said Grandma.  It really gets interesting when both of the boyfriends show up at the house at the same time.  Myra Sue, April Grace's older sister, is just as annoying as ever, and it really bugs April when Myra Sue seems to take more care of Isabel than Mama.  This is a very interesting story that I would give four and a half out of five stars.  I received this book from Book Sneeze in exchange for my honest review.