Access Denied by Denise Vega

****Access Denied (And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages) by Denise Vega****

Originality- 17/20
Characters- 18/20
Remembrance- 8/10
Quote-ability- 8/10
Entertainment- 17/20
Ending- 8/10
Recommend to read- 8/10
TOTAL- 84/100
Grade- B

Computer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader. Even worse, there's a new girl at Molly Brown Middle School who is determined to remake Erin in her bad-girl image, and former crush Mark "Cute Boy" Sacks has been acting strange lately.

But as Erin's school year once against hurdles toward disaster, a personal tragedy forces her to realize that things, and people, aren't always as bad as they seem. Can she save what's left of eighth grade before it's too late?

I was able to relate so much to this story. Erin was just an average girl. Not too popular but not super dorky either. She had good friends and few enemies even after the problems she went through in seventh grade. Erin dealt with a lot of problems and situations that a lot of teen girls go through. She had older crushes and peer pressure. I wasn't completely happy with all of the choices that she made but that's what made her real. She made mistakes just like we all do.

The plot wasn't really original but it was still a fun read. The story had its ups and downs, in the end though, everything was wrapped up nicely. I don't have any complaints about this book. I was very pleased and got all that I expected out of it. Overall I would say that teens would like this book because it depicts what eighth grade can really be like.

-Amanda