In Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, the third of the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, Cammie and Macey are subjects of a kidnapping attempt over the summer break between their sophomore and junior years. Shaken up more than they have ever been, even for girls who go to a top secret book for aspiring female covert operatives, Cammie has to deal with the trauma and try to protect Macey as best as she can from the same danger as Macey's family goes on campaign for Macey's father's presidency, while trying not to break to many rules.
I know, this book is kind of cheesy and a little lame. THEY'RE MY LITTLE SECRET. I think these books are really fun to read, and though they do not lack in the cheese sometimes, they are well written and always have more than just action and female-empowering main characters. For one thing, the theme of "fitting in" has a lot to do with this installment of the book. Even the title, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, is talking about how people put on facades for other people. Everyone acts differently around people sometimes, whether you're trying to impress your friends or trying to fit in. The characters in books obviously use covers, mostly as spies, but with example like Macey, she uses them to make her family proud and to do what they want her to do.
The book also deals with losing control of your "cover." An example of this is Cammie is feeling less and less like her trade marked Chameleon nickname, and has to deal with what it's like to stand out, even if it's for a good reason. Macey also deals with fitting in. Even though she has friends, she's two years behind them academically, and as mentioned in the last part of the book, only went to Gallagher Academy because she was a descendant of Gilly Gallagher, and she starts to lose her "cool girl" personality when she shows her real emotions.
I think this book is great example of how not only super-serious books can have great meaning. The characters are believable and fun to follow along, and the series builds up mystery and tension as you read along. I liked this book especially because of the amount of action in it. I love books with good fighting scenes! Can't wait to read the next one.
