Have to Have It

August 1, 2006
Gr 9 Up -Kiley, Esme, and Lydia are back in this third installment in the series. After her rock-star boss, Platinum, is arrested for drug possession, Kiley is left not only homeless, but also jobless. Without work, her mom will never let her stay in California, and without California residency, she will never be able to afford to go to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. With some help from her friends, she finds more nanny positions, one more awful than the next. Dating the boss -s son is catching up with Esme, and when the Goldhagens find out, they whisk her and the kids (sans Jonathan) off to Jamaica. Lydia is working as a nanny for her overprotective aunt, who keeps her children -s lives scheduled every minute. But what is really getting her down is the fact that her boyfriend isn -t ready to -go all the way. - Fans of the series will enjoy seeing the new situations in which these three girls find themselves. However, those who haven -t read the first two books might be a little lost. There is a fair amount of underage drinking, and although most of the sex is only talked about, there is a scene in which Kiley inadvertently walks into an orgy. For more nanny adventures try Melissa de la Cruz -s "The Au Pairs" (S & S, 2004) or Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus -s" The Nanny Diaries" (St. Martin -s, 2002), which is sure to be requested because of the forthcoming movie." -Michelle Roberts, Merrick Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2007
Nannies Kiley, Esme, and Lydia each confronts her own problems (e.g., when will Lydia lose her virginity?) and helps the others when the need arises. This third book in the series focuses less on the girls as friends and more on their individual issues, but the story lines for the three nannies are as titillating--and formulaic--as always.

(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)