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Winning

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Who ever said being nice would get you to the top?

Certainly not Alexandra Miles. She isn't nice, but she's more than skilled at playing the part. She floats through the halls of Spencer High, effortlessly orchestrating the actions of everyone around her, making people bend to her whim without even noticing they're doing it. She is the queen of Spencer High—and it's time to make it official.

Alexandra has a goal, you see—Homecoming Queen. Her ambitions are far grander than her small town will allow, but Homecoming is just the first step to achieving total domination. So when peppy, popular Erin Hewett moves to town and seems to have a real shot at the crown, Alexandra has to take action.

With the help of her trusted friend Sam, she devises her most devious plot yet. She'll introduce an unexpected third competitor into the mix, one whose meteoric rise—and devastating fall—will destroy Erin's chances once and for all. Alexandra can run a scheme like this in her sleep. What could possibly go wrong?

Lara Deloza's crackling depiction of a perpetually two-steps-ahead popular girl makes for a fun, wicked story with a protagonist that readers will love to hate.

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    • School Library Journal

      May 1, 2016

      Gr 8 Up-Alexandra is a winner. Some may think that her pageant wins and popularity come naturally, but behind the scenes, she is practicing and plotting every move. When a new girl threatens her next scheme to be homecoming queen, Alexandra must take drastic measures. She enlists the help of her best friend and accomplice, Sam, and the two girls target a loner to help throw the competition, but Alexandra may have gone too far this time. Sam and the new girl stumble into a romantic relationship. Together, they join up with Sloane, another girl ready to take down Alexandra, to exact revenge and crown the deserving queen. Although the loss causes Alexandra to reflect on what went wrong, she is unapologetic. Rather than learning the lesson that cheaters never win, she is more determined to rise from the ashes, perhaps more manipulative than before. Justice does prevail, but the joy of this book is in the mischievous backstabbing and scheming. Deloza's cunning, totally despicable protagonist will pull readers into this fast-paced drama. Hopefully, this is not the last we see of Alexandra.

      Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      April 1, 2016
      Alexandra has one goal: becoming Miss America, a goal her mother could not reach. First, however, Alexandra has to win Homecoming Queen. She's always the most popular girl in school with both students and faculty. Alexandra makes sure of that. Her entire life consists of scheming for advantage and training for beauty pageants, constantly pushed to win by her alcoholic mother. When a threateningly perky new girl in school arrives, Alexandra deceptively promotes school-outcast Ivy for the title and works to transform her into a beauty queen, all the while intending to destroy Ivy at the last minute and step in to take the crown for herself. Alexandra's best friend, Sam, willingly does her bidding but begins to suspect Alexandra's scheme. Meanwhile, Sloane, who detests Alexandra, and Erin, the new girl, team up to take Alexandra down and save the emotionally fragile Ivy. Deloza allows Alexandra, Sloane, Sam, and Ivy to share the narration responsibilities. Alexandra freely reveals her schemes to her readers, and the other characters are likewise candid. Sam's out but downplays her lesbianism until she meets another girl and starts a wild affair, a relationship that the book completely accepts. The story becomes a character study not only of Alexandra, but also of the other girls, eventually revealing that Alexandra has at least one admirable quality. A queen bee and her hive, dissected. (Chick lit. 12-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2016
      Queen bee Alexandra Miles is determined to win her high school's title of Homecoming Queen at any cost. When a new girl threatens her crown, Lexi plans to win by making over--then tearing down--an unpopular, stigmatized classmate. Mean Girlsstyle scheming and drama characterize this shallow story, though a satisfying ending brings Lexi's former admirers together to exact revenge.

      (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

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