From three critically acclaimed and bestselling authors comes one story - equal parts charming, hilarious, and emotional - of a road trip that proves that sometimes it doesn't matter where you're going, since getting there is half the fun. Three girls who couldn't be more different have one goal in mind: to get the heck out of Dodge. Well, Niceville, Florida, actually. But it might as well be called Nowheresville. Vicks is the wild-child fry cook whose boyfriend left for college and isn't returning any of her calls; Mel, the good girl in expensive jeans who just wants everyone to like her; and Jesse, the trailer-dwelling human morality meter who's discovered a life-altering secret - Each has her own reason for climbing into Jesse's mom's beat-up station wagon and hitting the highway for a weekend trip, whether she knows it or not. Armed only with Vicks's ancient, battered copy of a guidebook called Fantastical Florida, a map Jesse picked up with her dwindling funds, and Mel's mom's credit card, they're Miami bound. Hearts will be broken, friendships will be tested, and a ridiculously hot stranger could change the course of everything. And if they don't kill each other first, Vicks, Mel and Jesse will not only have a road trip to remember, they'll have friends for life. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Three deservedly popular YA authors take turns narrating this exuberant novel, which centers on a road trip. After working all summer in their small Florida town at the Waffle House (they call it the Awful Waffle), three girls strike out for the weekend, with Miami their intended destination. The three-way collaboration pushes the authors into directions they might not have chosen individually-Lockhart's (The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks) narrator, Vicks, is less aloof than the author's usual protagonist, and more congenial; she's less elite (she wants to be a cook) but she's just as self-assured and intelligent. Mlynowski's narrator, Mel, the diffident middle child in an affluent Canadian family, faces the same insecurities as the main character in the Bras & Broomsticks books, but she approaches them in a reflective manner. Myracle (TTYL) tries on heavy issues: Bible-thumping Jesse can't cope with her mom's recent diagnosis of cancer. Whip-smart dialogue and a fast-moving, picaresque plot that zooms from lump-in-the-throat moments to all-out giddiness will keep readers going, and it's a testimony to how real these girls seem that the final chapters are profoundly satisfying rather than tidy. Ages 14-up. (May) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 9 Up-Jesse, Vicks, and Mel spontaneously decide to take a road trip to visit Vicks's boyfriend who is in college in Miami. Jesse and Vicks have been friends for ages, but now there is a wedge between them. Jesse is a devout Christian who frowns on drinking and premarital sex; her unmarried mother calls her Goody Two-shoes and Vicks is getting fed up with her friend's "holier than thou" attitude. In fact, this is a large focal point of the story, and readers are sometimes left to wonder why they are still best friends, and when and how Jesse became so religious. Mel is a wealthy newcomer who has offered to pay for the trip, hoping to be accepted by them. Once they get into the car, infighting (and outright fighting) takes over. Still, the girls have wild adventures, including a party at which Vicks and Mel get drunk, a hurricane, a fistfight, and a run-in with a live alligator in order to save a baby duckling. Through confrontations with one another, with boys, and with family, the teens work through the issues they are facing and learn the importance of relying on friends. The presentation of three voices is effective since they come from three different authors, giving readers a variety of perspectives to consider. Teens are left with a satisfying conclusion that ties up most ends and creates hope for those issues left unresolved.-Emily Garrett Cassady, North Garland High School, TX Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In an uncharacteristically rebellious moment, Jesse borrows her mama's car and skips hicksville with Vicks, her best friend, and Mel, a new girl at work. Their destination: Miami, where Vicks' boyfriend, Brady, attends college. Jesse is running from the news that her mom has breast cancer; Vicks is afraid that Brady is already over her. Mel just wants to belong, but she worries that the others are using her for her money. Like most road trips, this one is more about the journey than the destination: numerous detours including breaking into a roadside attraction, escaping a hurricane, and hooking Mel up with a hot guy provide the space the girls need to sort out their problems. This novel is the product of an unusual collaboration by three authors whose popular previous books, such as Lockhart's Dramarama (2007), Mlynowski's Bras & Broomsticks (2005), and Myracle's TTYL (2004), make them well known to their target audience. Here, the authors' styles blend seamlessly, folding three characters' distinct voices into a funny, poignant story about facing your troubles with friends at your side.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2008 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.