It was terrific to see Alan Sitomer at TLA a few weeks ago. He was kind enough to come by the booth and bring me an ARC of his latest offering: NERD GIRLS: THE RISE OF THE DORKASAURUS (Disney, July 2011). Faithful readers of Sitomer's earlier novels will find this a bit of a departure as he tackles the mean streets and cafeteria tables of middle school. Our little trio of nerd girls, Maureen, Alice, and Barbara, are all picked on ny the Three P's" pretty, popular, and perfect: the girls who rule the school. Somehow the three outcasts manage to join together with a plan to defeat the Three P's once and for all. There are countless obstacles: Alice's allergies to EVERYTHING, Barbara's insistence that it is a talent to be able to clean her ears with Q-tips using her feet, you catch the drift, right? Lots of fun, quick read, this is sure to be popular with those kids who identify with Alice and Maureen and Barbara. There are plenty of them in our classrooms. <185>