Merivale Mall #3 Playing Games and #4 Never Stop Smiling

In Merivale Mall #3, Playing Games, Merivale High and Atwood Academy's football rivalry has reached an all-time high.  Lori's boyfriend, Nick, plays for Atwood Academy, and Lori must decide which school to support.  At first, Lori plans to root for Atwood, but a mean cheerleader at Merivale High insists that Lori prove her loyalty to Merivale High.  Will the rivalry destroy Lori and Nick's relationship?

The main plot of this story is a bit annoying.  I find the subplot to be much more interesting.  Danielle has to volunteer at a daycare for extra credit for one of her classes.  It's fun to see Danielle interact with the children while she tries to keep her extracurricular activity a secret from her snobbish friends.

Danielle also has a secret boyfriend, Don, who is a poor boy who plans to become a mechanic. Don and Danielle's secret relationship is the best part of this series.  I love it.

I enjoyed this book.

In Merivale Mall #4, Never Stop Smiling, several of the girls compete for the title of Miss Merivale Mall.  Both Danielle and her friend, Teresa, plan to win the title and lord it over the other.  Danielle is jealous that Teresa's family has hired a coach, and Danielle schemes to find a way to beat Teresa—even if it means cheating!

On page 73, Danielle thinks, "If the contest were fair, all she'd have to do was show up and accept the crown.  So why did she have to go through this other stuff?"  Right, they should give the crown to Danielle, just because!

I enjoyed this book.