The Best School Year Ever - That's the kind of junior year Betsy Ray has planned for herself. And when her childhood friend Tib Muller moves back to Deep Valley, Betsy's sure her perfect year is off to a grand start. With charming, funny Tib around, Crowd doings are more fun than ever -- especially after Betsy starts Okto Delta, the first-ever sorority at Deep Valley High. But soon Betsy's luck takes a bad turn. The Crowd is getting into trouble at school, and Betsy isn't given a chance to compete in the annual Essay Contest. Could Betsy's best school year turn out to be her worst?

Lots of high school hijinks. I suspect instead of being like Betsy, I’m more like Betsy’s 10-year-old sister Margaret, who is all like, “I would like to throw my first party ever, and invite only my dog and my cat.”

But Betsy shows signs of really growing up by the end, and I’m interested in seeing where her story goes next. I think the final two books will be a nice payoff. ( )

While Betsy and her friends are still as fun loving as ever and their antics amusing, the theme of the novel - that it is time for Betsy to grow up and mature - makes the tone almost unavoidably preachy. It seemed written by rule, rather than by life and so ultimately falls a bit flat. ( )

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We're back again with Betsy and her friends. Her older sister Julia has left for "university", and Betsy tries to be more responsible, mature, but her attempts often backfire in ways she never imagined. Still, she's writing again, which is an improvement over last year and her dismal essay contest results. Amusing, touching, even exasperating at times, this book is a keeper. ( )