The Karma Club (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Karma Club Maggie Hommel Brody, Jessica . The Karma Club. Farrar, 2010. [256p]. ISBN 978-0-374-33979-1 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 7-10. High-school student Madison has always wanted to be popular, and she sees an opportunity when her "Meet My Boyfriend" submission gets published in Contempo Girl magazine. While the article scores Maddy and boyfriend Mason an invite to an exclusive loft party, the party leads to Mason's making out with popular girl Heather and Maddy's getting dumped. Maddy's friends Angie and Jade have also been humiliated in the past (Angie's boyfriend blamed her after being caught with alcohol, Jade was dumped after not being ready for sex), and the three form a secret Karma Club, deciding they'd rather take matters into their own hands than to continue "waiting for the universe to get off its butt and start fixing stuff." Their targeted schemes, including starting rumors, posting a fake dating-site profile, and replacing acne cream with Crisco, don't quite pan out the way they had planned, especially when their detailed club notebook gets stolen. Teen girls who feel victimized in their own school's social circles may find the trio's take-charge attitude gratifying. However, the actions of the revenge-bent karma clubbers are mean-spirited enough to raise questions about who the bad guys really are. The idea that teen magazines could impact social status seems outdated in today's world, and the book's portrayal of karma (and a wise, Indian-accented instructor that Maddy consults) tends toward the careless and stereotypical. If these issues are overlooked, the playful depiction of popularity and fairness will be compelling to teens, and the romance and happy ending that emerge from all of the bedlam, though predictable, are also satisfying. [End Page 473] Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois