Top Ten Clues You're Clueless

by Liz Czukas

Overview

Top Five Things That Are Ruining Chloe's Day

5) Working the 6:30 a.m. shift at GoodFoods Market

4) Crashing a cart into a customer's car right in front of her snarky coworker Sammi

3) Trying to rock the "drowned rat" look after being caught in a snowstorm

2) Making zero progress with her crush, Tyson (see #3)

1) Being accused—along with her fellow teenage employees— of stealing upwards of $10,000

Chloe would rather be anywhere than locked in work jail (aka the break room) with five of her coworkers . . . even if one of them is Tyson. But if they can band together to clear their names, what looks like a total disaster might just make Chloe's list of Top Ten Best Moments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062272430
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	12/09/2014
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	627 KB
Age Range:	13 Years

About the Author

Liz Czukas is a freelance writer living outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is also the author of Ask Again Later. She collects college degrees she doesn't use, types too loud, and always has a song stuck in her head.

Editorial Reviews

10/13/2014
It’s Christmas Eve, and high schooler Chloe has to work all day at the local supermarket, along with a quirky assortment of cashiers, stockers, and baggers—especially handsome Tyson, who she has a big crush on. Then the store manager discovers that someone has stolen nearly $10,000 from the Christmas charity box, and decides to hold all of the employees in the break room until the police arrive or someone confesses. These unusual circumstances lend themselves to weird conversations, supermarket games, romantic encounters, a diabetes scare for Chloe, and speculation on who is behind the theft. Czukas (Ask Again Later) gives Chloe the oft-seen penchant for making lists; many are funny—“Newborn giraffes” tops the list of “Things That Are Less Awkward Than Getting Caught Riding Through the Store in a Shopping Cart in Front of Your (Angry) Boss”—though their frequency occasionally frustrates the book’s momentum. This aside, Chloe’s narration is upbeat and entertaining, Czukas’s characters are memorably eccentric, and the mystery about who stole the money pushes readers along in this sweet comedy. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Charming, fun and insightful.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Chloe’s narration is upbeat and entertaining, Czukas’s characters are memorably eccentric, and the mystery about who stole the money pushes readers along in this sweet comedy.” — Publishers Weekly

“Czukas has delivered a winner. The characters are vivacious and interesting, the plot definitely stands out from current YA trends, and the down-to-earth humor will have readers rolling.” — RT Book Reviews

“A sweet blend of Nancy Drew and The Breakfast Club. Readers looking for a breezy read with a little romance, a little mystery, and a little holiday cheer will be more than satisfied.” — ALA Booklist

“Dear list-makers of the world: your new favorite book has arrived, and it is wonderful.” — Christian Science Monitor

From the Publisher

A sweet blend of Nancy Drew and The Breakfast Club. Readers looking for a breezy read with a little romance, a little mystery, and a little holiday cheer will be more than satisfied.

ALA Booklist

Czukas has delivered a winner. The characters are vivacious and interesting, the plot definitely stands out from current YA trends, and the down-to-earth humor will have readers rolling.

RT Book Reviews

Dear list-makers of the world: your new favorite book has arrived, and it is wonderful.

Christian Science Monitor

2014-09-14
A bookish, diabetic newcomer to her neighborhood lives through one difficult day at the grocery store where she works. It's Christmas Eve, so all hands are called to work at GoodFoods, starting early in the morning. Chloe works as a checker there, and she's not too surprised to find that all the "Younglings" (as Chloe's favorite shift manager calls them) will be working with her all day. Despite the annoying Christmas music playing throughout the store, all goes fairly well until a TV crew arrives for the opening of the charity box, only to find that the box is nearly empty when it should have held nearly $10,000. Now all under suspicion, the Younglings are held after closing time, waiting for the police to arrive. The wait grows into hours, and Chloe begins to suffer from low blood sugar, but she doesn't want to reveal her diabetes to anyone. Czukas writes in a chatty, engaging style that makes Chloe's present-tense account a quick, enjoyable read; Chloe's compulsive list-making adds some fun. Both the hunt for the thief and Chloe's impending diabetic crash contribute to the suspense. The real charm of the book is its character study of Chloe and her hesitant outreach to the other characters; although billed as a romance, this is a book about forming friendships. Charming, fun and insightful. (Fiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews