It's Not Easy Being Mean

Infobox Book |
name = The Clique: It's Not Easy Being Mean
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Lisi Harrison
cover_artist = Amy Greenspan, Roger Moenks, and Laurent Alfieri
country = United States
language = English
series = The Clique series
genre = Young adult novel
publisher = Little, Brown and Company
release_date = March 2007
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 193
isbn =
preceded_by = Dial L for Loser
followed_by = Sealed with a Diss

"It's Not Easy Being Mean" is a novel that is part of the young adult "The Clique series" by Lisi Harrison. It was first published in 2007 by Little, Brown and Company.

Plot summary

The day before the Pretty Committee goes back to OCD after being expelled, they receive a CD in a gold envelope from alpha eighth-grader Skye Hamilton, telling them about a rumored "key" that can open the legendary secret, a forgotten room on the OCD campus. Usually, the seventh grade alpha automatically gets the key, but since it is the fifth anniversary of the Room, Skye decides that whoever finds the key will receive the total and complete power of the room. If the Pretty Committee doesn't get the key, some LBR will get it and it would be social suicide. Skye hides the key under an unknown Briarwood boy's mattress, the only clue being a poem. On the first day back, the Pretty Committee is bombarded with fans due to them being in the movie (Dial L for Loser-Claire) and reporting on the movie (Massie and Alicia). Kristen is the only one free to go, causing her to become jealous. Massie and Alicia also become jealous because Claire is getting more attention due to her being the star of Dial L for Loser. Because of being late, Massie, Alicia, Claire, and Dylan go to the office for a pass. Claire focuses on her list that she made, stating the reasons she would like to move to California, and the reasons she wouldn't due to another movie job offer in which she'd have to move to California.

During lunch, Alicia compiles a list of Briarwood boys Skye has kissed and delivers all the names that her source told her to Massie. Massie finds out that Derrington, her boyfriend, is one of them, and that Alicia's crush, Josh, is also one of them. After school, the Pretty Committee head to the chapel to discuss the key. While there, Massie convinces Claire to call Cam and ask him if they can go to his house, so that they can check his brother Harris Fisher's mattress. Cam can't have them come over the current day, and Claire has a meeting the next day, but instead lies to Massie that Cam's uncle is visiting. Claire heads to Manhattan for a meeting with her agent, saying that she had an offer to star in a film directed by Bernard Sinrod, who is a bigshot director making a movie about a runaway teen who meets a prince and falls in love with him. Her agent says she will need choppy black hair and a unibrow for the audition. The chapter leaves off with Miles the agent asking Claire what it's gonna be. Claire is reluctant to accept because she'd have to have her hair dyed black and cut choppy and have goat hair sewn into her eyebrows to create a unibrow. She also can't eat much to look a real runaway.

The next chapter starts as Claire wearing knockoff sunglasses and a hat, then going into the GLU (Girls Like Us) Headquarters, which is Massie's room. Once there, no one questions Claire about how her meeting went. Instead, they hand her a packet with all the guys that Skye had kissed and why they might have the key. Finally, Claire suggests that they move Cam's house to Monday instead of Friday. Massie gets upset, asking why. Claire admits she has an audition then whips off her hat, revealing black hair and a thick, coarse unibrow made of goat hair.

The next day, the Pretty Committee all have missions to go to a boy that Skye has kissed's house. Massie to Derrington, Alicia to Josh Hotz, and so on and so on. When Massie goes to Derrington's room, she finds out that he is a pig. Alicia finds out that Josh is a neat freak. While going to Cam's house without Claire, Massie discovers that Cam's uncle didn't visit, and Claire was lying so that they wouldn't go without her. Massie gets upset that Claire almost sabotaged the Pretty Committee and kicks her out of the Pretty Committee.

Claire and Layne figure out that the key is under Chris Abeley (Layne's brother)'s mattress, and get it. After Layne and goes to a conference with the Pretty Committee, she uses the key to get Claire back into the Pretty Committee. The story ends with Skye and the DSL Daters unlocking the door to the secret room for the Pretty Committee, who are left speechless. This leaves you wondering, since Lisi Harrison doesn't describe it. It ends with Skye opening the door, and the Pretty Committee gasping - but no one could say anything.

Reviews

* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/books/bestseller/0415bestchildren.html NYT bestseller]
* [http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-01-16-top-100-books_N.htm USA Today bestseller]
* [http://www.teensreadtoo.com/NotEasyBeingMean.html TeensReadToo review]
* [http://media.www.dailyorange.com/media/storage/paper522/news/2007/03/28/Bindings/Preteen.clique.Novel.Fails.To.Bridge.Age.Gap-2808068.shtml The Daily Orange review]