This book first came out when I was about the same age as Lissa, and having the same problems with being excluded from social cliques in school. I recently re-read it, and as the pain of that time in my life came back, I realized just how much the book helped me to realize that cliques weren't the be-all and end-all of my life...I only hope that the girls who did that to me also realized it in time.

This book deserves to come back into print. It's a great read, and it deals with a topic that faces many girls in fifth and sixth grades - the cruelty of cliques. I recommend it to the girls who form the cliques and the girls who are excluded by them.

Lissa is smart and funny, but she's also made an enemy of Debra Dobbins, the most popular girl in her class, partly because Debra stole her three-color pen. All of a sudden, Lissa has no friends and is excluded from Debra's exclusive FUNCHY club. Lissa is caught between being her own person and being like everyone else. Lissa's reaction at the end of the book is wonderful. This is an extremely enjoyable story. Definitely worth reading!

I am writing this on my mother's page, but I wanted to tell everybody how much I liked this book. The characters in this book were very interesting. I liked the idea of putting these two totally different types of girls together as seat partners in school and seeing what would happen. The ending surprised me!

Juliet Fisher is full of moans and groans when her teacher Mrs. Lacey asks Juliet's friend Sara to change places with Lydia-Jane Bly. Lydia-Jane is annoying, sloppy and talkitive while Juliet is neat, perfert and shy. Then Juilet gets the idea that Mrs. Lacey wants Juliet to be more like Lydia-Jane, So together with her neighbours Granville and Jonah they hatch THE FOOLPROOF PLAN to show Mrs. Lacey that Juliet isn't the perfect, neat shy little girl she thought she was

Reviewer: A reader from Sydney Australia
I first read this book when I was 18 and have read it a number of times since then. I had to continually put this book down to wipe away the tears, it moved me that much, and I still get emotional even after numerous readings. The story of Addie's amazing strength and courage is incredible to read and impossible to put down, and I think anybody will be able to relate to Addie's profound sense of isolation. Truly a triumph of a novel.

I agree with this review. Addie's story is very touching and very easy to relate with. Addie was my favorite character, and was the only personal aspect of the book that I enjoyed. I did not enjoy or understand the rest of the book. i just wonder why the author would write about something like this. Is it a situation that played a part in her life? Or someone else's. This isnt my type of book but I still agree with the the strength and courage that Addie's had.

I first read this book when I was 18 and have read it a number of times since then. I had to continually put this book down to wipe away the tears, it moved me that much, and I still get emotional even after numerous readings. The story of Addie's amazing strength and courage is incredible to read and impossible to put down, and I think anybody will be able to relate to Addie's profound sense of isolation. Truly a triumph of a novel.

It's very sad that this book isn't getting the recognition it deserves-This is one book,that once read,is very hard to forget.It's an extraordinary story that almost any person of Addie's(she is the main character)age can relate to,because the authoress manages to make her such a realistic character.Addie is a silent heroine living in a tumultous home-suffering her parent's divorce when she was seven,then trying to deal with her father's long absence,enduring her mother's and sister's enmity towards her,and coping with her little twin sisters that seem to be greatly affected by the change within their home.Addie is a not an ideal,obedient daughter like her sister Dinah but neither is she as rebellious as her mother presumes she is.Addie falls victim to a fate which often strips her of all the things that bring her joy,yet she quietly contemplates it all silently and patiently,and by the end you begin to see how her patience pays off,making her into a stronger,more forgiving person-and they say that one of the hardest things to do,is to forgive and forget all the hurt someone once caused you....

Lydia Jane and the Baby-Sitter Exchange is about Lydia's Babysitter. First Lydia goes to an after school camp that she really likes then she gets a baby-sitter. Her baby-sitter's name is Mrs. Humphrey. Throughout the story Lydia Jane and Lydia's younger sister, Gabrialle, try to get rid of the horrible Mrs. Humphrey. The book takes place in Lydia and Gabrielle's small town. They live in a house next to a small patch of woods. With Mr. and Mrs. Bly as parents. Every day after school Lydia Jane and Gabrielle walk to Mrs. Humphery's house. They sit in a little room and watch T.V. Lydia Jane and Gabrialle want a new baby- sitter. Fast! They argue with there parents and finally Lydia Jane sends a letter to her grandmother. Her grandmother really helps. I thought this was one of the best books I read. It has more excitement. I also like how the book doesn't explain everything so I can try to figure the answers out. It makes you want to read the rest of the book, so I can see what happens next. I loved the book Lydia Jane and the Baby- Sitter Exchange. It is one of my favorite books!