Moby Clique

Miranda Tate returns to Bard Academy—a boarding school for delinquent teens—in Cara Lockwood’s third installment of the Bard Academy series, Moby Clique.

This time, Miranda has her younger sister, Lindsay, in tow. Lindsay quickly falls in love with Miranda’s ex, Ryan, and aligns with Miranda’s arch nemesis, Parker. Throw in some pirates, and Miranda is clearly in for a difficult semester.

Overall, the Bard Academy series is harmless. Miranda is an appealing heroine. She and her friends are likely the mildest and kindest high school delinquents in history, and I can’t help but root for her relationship with Heathcliff. I was never attracted to Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights because of his intense cruelty, but Lockwood’s Heathcliff is a teenage girl’s dream.

The major flaw of the series—and Moby—is Lockwood’s characterization of dead authors. In this case, she totally impugns Sylvia Plath. Clearly, Plath had severe emotional issues. However, it is quite a leap to make her a villain. If I were part of Plath’s estate, I may have a juicy lawsuit on my hands.