The Clique, a contemporary popular series for girls, has been criticized in the popular and professional media but includes thematic content similar to some of the more lauded mid-nineteenth-century domestic fiction for girls. By making a formal comparison of this popular series with domestic fiction for girls (much of which is now considered "classic" literature), we can establish a tradition in girls' writing more prevalent than perhaps has been thought and can, as we contrast the respective professional receptions of these works, consider how our selection practice is informed by a historically consistent and prescriptive impetus.