Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List

November 1, 2005
Gr 7-10 -Jessica, a junior in a small New Mexico town, dreams of Hollywood stardom. She is devastated when a lack of funds threatens cancellation of the school play. Into her life steps Jordan, a new student whose father is a famous actor. Jordan wants to keep this hidden, but Jessica hatches a scheme to save the play by revealing his identity to the drama teacher and promising that he will audition for a role. When Jordan's secret gets out, Jessica's plan is turned upside down and her relationship with him inside out. A confrontation with him causes her to miss getting the lead in "West Side Story". Ultimately, she discovers that fame and fortune can hurt relationships, and their romance blossoms. The plot moves fast and there are some enjoyable parts, but the writing is average. The characters are sometimes fun, but Jessica is self-involved and manipulative. While this novel may appeal to fans of Meg Cabot, most teen girls will seek other, more sympathetic heroines." -Amy Patrick, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2005
Gr. 7-10. True to the book's title, Jessica's cool, hilarious, first-person narrative mocks her dreams of stardom. When gorgeous Jordan arrives in her small town in New Mexico, she falls in love with him. What really grabs her attention, though is the fact that his divorced dad is a movie idol. If Jordan can persuade his dad to come to their high-school production of " West Side Story," he would see her great talent. The trouble is, everyone else at school has the same dream, and the performance, on and off the stage, degenerates into wild fighting and farce. The heavy attack on self-righteous political correctness seems more attuned to adults than teens, but plenty of readers will enjoy the fun of putting on a play, the humorous take on what can go wrong, and the rivalry, the embarrassment, and the romance between friends and lovers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2006
When the son of a famous actor moves to town, aspiring actress and eleventh-grader Jessica plots to use him to help her get discovered. Her plan goes awry after she finds herself falling for him, then she alienates him by revealing his identity to the school. Uneven writing hurts what is an otherwise witty novel.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)