Messy

May 15, 2012
Sisters Brooke (budding Tinseltown diva) and Molly (level-headed Midwesterner) return, along with Brick Berlin, their self-absorbed, dimly sweet megastar dad, in a companion piece to Spoiled (2011), gleefully sending up celebrity blogs and social networking. Molly's friend, budding writer Max McCormack, lives "in a Fendi world on a Forever 21 budget." Brainiac Max and savvy uber-shopper Brooke share little beyond dim views of fashion crimes and cultural misdemeanors. Nevertheless, cash-strapped Max--her mother is the headmistress of a tony private school catering to celebrity spawn; her dad's unemployed--can't resist a high-paying job secretly ghostwriting Brooke's new blog (part career strategy, part bid for parental attention). As blog success brings Brooke a starring role in a drastically re-envisioned Nancy Drew movie, Max increasingly resents her own invisibility--and especially Brooke's rapport with her co-star and major blog fan. Satirizing Hollywood is a time-honored literary pastime, but timely satirical touches keep things fresh, from Brick's latest film, Avalanche! (shot in Florida), to the vegetarian restaurant (Fu'd) where Max reluctantly serves toham and notwurst. For most of the lowlife celebrities skewered, fame will be justly fleeting, but this novel should have a longer shelf life, thanks to a cast of complex characters who offer ample evidence that, F. Scott Fitzgerald notwithstanding, the rich and famous are like you and me. (Fiction. 15 & up)

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July 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-In this hilarious companion to Spoiled (Little, Brown, 2011), snarky Max McCormack rejoices when her best friend and confidante, Molly Berlin, returns to LA to live with her famous movie-star dad and her half sister, Brooke, celebutante around town. Max is working on her application for NYU's summer writing program, and she has some pretty serious writer's block. And unlike Molly, who has an overflowing bank account, she worries that she won't have the tuition, even though she has a job at Fu'd, the new hip spot that serves fake meat. Luckily, Molly sees an awesome ad on craigslist: an It Girl is looking for a stand-in, official blogographer. Max can't abide It Girls, but she really needs the money. Much to her surprise (and dismay), said girl turns out to be the half sister and, according to Max, a half-wit. Swayed by Brooke's persuasive attitude and salary offer, Max signs on. But the blog takes off and Brooke starts getting accolades for it. And she also cozies up to Max's crush....Will Max call off her Cyrano act for good? This story of hidden identities and love triangles is a fun and fast read. The authors do a great job of incorporating the backstory for those new to Max and Molly's world. Readers will love Max's voice and perspective, and they might even come to love Brooke. All of the characters have well-developed personalities, and teens will want to be along for any future adventures.-Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2012
In this companion to [cf2]Spoiled[cf1], Brooke, daughter of a movie megastar, hires female classmate Max to be her ghost-blogger; "Open Brooke" is bitingly observant on celeb lifestyle--and wildly successful. But Max can't stay behind the scenes forever, especially once the blog hooks the interest of her crush. With her sass and spunk, Max outshines the other characters in this witty follow-up.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)