Access Denied: (And Other Eighth Grade Error Messages)

ACCESS DENIED (and other eighth grade error messages) DENISE VEGA Contemporary YA Rating: 5 Enchantments Erin P Swift is a 13 year old, who survived her seventh grade year of embarrassing events and is now starting eighth grade. She is into sports like basketball and hockey, IM, building websites in computer club, and blogging. She wants a little more freedom from the restrictions her mother has had in place since she was a `little' kid. Erin's friend, Mark, whom Erin had a crush on last year, is also into basketball and they play together even though Kara, Mark's new girlfriend is suspicious of their friendship. Erin is trying to get through school successfully, be a good friend to Mark, Jilly, and Rosie, and lead a team for the I-club website. She is also searching for a BF (boyfriend.) Saddled by her teacher Ms. Moreno, with a goal to be a `good influence' on Serena and Reede, Erin tries in spite of her misgivings. She also relies on advice and a friendly ear in Mr. F, the school janitor. An enjoyable read, this book is filled with the anxieties of middle school along with the thrills of new experiences. I like that the book has some realistic choices and dilemmas in it and still manages to stay appropriate in content for teen readers. Erin combats her `good' image by hanging out with Reede at the mall to pick up boys and going to a party while her parents think she is spending the night at Jilly's house. While she doesn't immediately get caught by her parents, she ends up making some regrettable choices and having to come to terms with herself, the choices she made and some grief-making results. Her ups and downs with friendships are very true to life. Erin is a very likable teen and I enjoyed reading about her adventures and misadventures with both her friends, boys, and not-quite friends. Denise Vega has written computer books for adults. She has `always' wanted to be a writer and has written several other books for tweens and teens which you can find more information about at her website at [...] Kathy Johnson ENCHANTING REVIEWS July 2009

Access Denied is the second book in the series, but fortunately, you do not have to have read the first book to get up to speed. Eric Swift had a rough school year, I mean how would you feel if everyone got to read your private blog - I mean, everyone at your high school (and probably other high schools as well). Well, this year she is determined to have "the" best year. She is surrounded by her friends, her cute and cool "ex" as well as a bit of a mystery thrown in - Erin has a new "locker" partner and this girl is everything Erin is not (i.e. cool). This is, no doubt, why Erin is drawn to her - but Erin will find herself having to make some tough choices this year - or risk being the center of attention once again. I am am adult who enjoys reading YA and this book was extremely entertaining. As I read it, it brought me back to how absolutely angst-ridden being in high school can be. Every little thing seems like a major life choice and I have to say that Erin has a knack for finding herself in some ackward situation to say the last. I liked that this book was NOT all about sex, sex and more sex, but rather about a young girl who is trying to find her way and is trying to fit in, without compromising her principles (too much anyway). There are some seriously funny passages, as well as some more touching and deep messages to all YA. I really enjoyed this one.

Readers may remember Erin Penelope Swift from"Click Here: To Find Out How I Survived Seventh Grade". Or as Erin refers to it - YOHE (Year of Humiliating Events). As eighth grade approaches, Erin vows to stop embarrassing herself and put an end to the humiliation 4-ever. But with an over-protective mom breathing down her neck who refuses to let her go to rock concerts and is the self-appointed movie police, Erin's resolve soon turns to all out angst. And there's always plenty to angst about at Molly Brown Middle School. Like her gorgeous and fascinating new locker partner named Reede, boys, makeup, designing the school's new website, boys, and getting her first period. Did I mention boys? Erin flits from kissy-face Blake to we're-just-friends Mark to 2-hot-2-handle Jeff like a sugar starved hummingbird. Impatient for independence, Erin steps further and further outside the safety zones of home and school as she discovers a new self-confidence. Things once important to her like good grades, sports, and web design fall by the wayside as she becomes increasingly fascinated with her own hotness. However the freedom she gains from sneaking around behind her mom's back comes with a price. When an old friend dies suddenly Erin-the-goody-two-shoes and Erin-the-party-girl collide. As she picks her way through the wreckage, Erin comes face-to-face with the people she has disappointed. Most of all she is disappointed in herself. Can she somehow salvage the Erin Penelope Swift that everyone knows and loves? What if she doesn't like that person anymore? "Access Denied" is a sometimes comical, sometimes poignant, and always captivating portrayal of teen angst. Vega draws an authentic picture of modern middle school mayhem and how popularity can lure anyone into leading a double life.

Erin Swift is sure that the eighth grade will be a far better experience than her last school year. In seventh grade - the Year of Humiliating Events (or YOHE as she likes to refer to it) - Erin's private blog became a very public one. Everyone at Molly Brown Middle School (and most of the high school students) read every humiliating detail. This year will be different. After all, if she survived her YOHE, she can survive anything, right? Erin is surrounded by good friends: Jilly, Rosie, Carla, and Mr. F., the school janitor and family friend. She also has her good friend, Mark, her former crush who is still cute but still just a friend. And, he has the girlfriend to prove it. This year Erin gets a new locker partner. Reede Harper isn't like any of Erin's other friends. She wears a lot of makeup, seems to know more about people than they know about themselves, and is full of mystery about herself. Oh, and she smokes, which makes her just the kind of girl that Erin would never hang out with. So, why is she so drawn to her? As if it wasn't hard enough to deal with the social politics of middle school, Erin's mother still treats her like she's a child. She has to stay at home while her friends get to go to concerts and other fun events. And, she's not allowed to date, which makes it tricky since she has started seeing a boy from the ninth grade. There is also the hunky high school Junior that has been hanging out with Erin's older brother. And Mark always seems to be somewhere in the picture. But, they're just friends. Right? As Erin struggles to gain a little more independence and control over her life, she finds herself struggling to make the right decisions and teetering dangerously close to another YOHE. The sequel to CLICK HERE (TO FIND OUT HOW I SURVIVED SEVENTH GRADE), author Denise Vega has written a book that is just as enjoyable even if you didn't read the first book. The story will have you laughing, and crying, right along with the characters. Reviewed by: JodiG.

This was a really cute book to read. I'm always a bit wary of when adults try to talk in a teen's voice and computers are involved. For some reason, no matter how good the rest of the story is, the computer lingo always seems to be either dated or just plain off. It seems that a lot of adults have no idea how teens really act on the computer. Luckily this book had research done as teen web speak is done pitch perfect throughout the book. Sprinkled among the first person narrative is Erin's online blog with her secret thoughts and feelings. Included in every entry is her Hot O Meter of guys she thinks is smoking. I really loved when she got a crush on Jeff because her reaction is just spot on in regards to every girls who's had a crush on an older guy. The entire story brings me back to that age with a rush of feelings of what it was like to be back in middle school again. Sometimes I did feel like I was missing out on past events that kept being brought up, but I suppose that's my fault for not reading the first book beforehand. What happened in seventh grade is referenced several times, but details are not described therefore leaving the reader in the dark until they read the previous story. I think what I really liked best about this book was how realistically it portrayed a young teen girl growing up. The scenes involving Erin getting her period for the first time were done very tastefully, with humor and consideration and most readers will be able to relate to the feelings that run through Erin throughout the situation. It is not written in a crude way and is one of the few books that I've read that even mention the incident. I would recommend this book for 7th graders and up. Teens will enjoy this book with a computer savvy main character who's both boy and technology crazy with a good heart. Looking forward to going back and reading the first of Erin's adventures.