'The Clique': Chick-lit For Teens and Tweens

Getting the Message

But is it a good thing to drill so much of the adult world's obsessions so deeply into children's literature?

Harrison says her books actually help her readers by showing how the apparently glamorous lives of her mean girl characters can be hollow.

"I don't mean to brag -- but I get literally thousands and thousands of letters, thousands and thousands of e-mails from these girls, and I do read them and not one of them has accused me of perpetuating poison into their world and their society," she said. "Every one of them says, 'I suddenly realize that it's not so important to be popular anymore. I used to be like this with our friends, but we've all changed. Truly. I really, really mean it.' They all get it."

During her reading at the bookstore, Harrison demonstrated her point.

"Do you guys get ... that I'm not saying that wearing labels on clothes," she asked the girls. "I'm not saying this is the way we should live our lives right? Do you guys understand the point of this? Would someone like to tell me what it is? I just need to hear it because I'm alone all the time."

Their answer? Yes.

"I would lip kiss you right now if I wasn't so far away," she continued. "And what do you think about girls that obsess over clothing labels. Do you think that's a good thing? Do you guys want to be like that?"

The answer? No.

"Say it again, sisters! Say it again!" Harrison instructed them.

"NO!"

Later, at least some girls -- and their moms -- said "The Clique" books help.

One mother, Robin, said she didn't have any concerns when her daughter Hannah started reading the books.

"I didn't. Only because Hannah had gone through some stuff with some mean girl. And so, I thought it was a really good thing for her to see some other characters and how they dealt with the circumstances that she might have experienced," she said. "We come from an area where there are a lot of cliques, especially in middle school."

Robin said Hannah's experiences with her girlfriends brought them closer as mother and daughter as they looked for answers together. And one place Hannah looked for answers was in Harrison's books.