(3) YA When sixteen-year-old TV actress Paloma Rose is at risk of losing her show and sponsors because of some unsavory behavior, her agent convinces her mother to send her to brat camp and hires a double to impersonate Paloma while she's on "vacation." In this loose interpretation of The Prince and the Pauper, cynical narration provides funny and fascinating insight into celebrity life.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gary Blythe. A king's demand for a legendary moon dragon sends fortune hunters on a fruitless quest as each longs to win the promised riches. Only Alina, a young wood gatherer, knows where to seek the dragons, but she quietly chooses a very different treasure to reward her efforts. Blythe's luminous illustrations capture the soft landscapes and strong emotions of this fairy tale.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Hildy is thrilled when she and Connor become a couple. So much so, in fact, that she excuses his jealous and controlling behavior as love; her best friend perceptively characterizes the relationship as "a fascist dictatorship." Readers will want to shake Hildy for being so naive, but in her (surprisingly) funny diary-style narration, they may recognize their own friends--or themselves.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA When a cute new boy joins the Environmental Club, hipster Maya, popular Sicilee, and apathetic Waneeda all sign up. As they get more involved, their interest in the environment becomes real, to everyone's surprise. The worthy topic is handled in a unique way (though the characters' single-pointed focus flattens things out). Books, websites, and documentaries about environmentalism are appended.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(2) YA Sheldon's novel is a break-up story about a friendship that's run its course. High school "soul sisters and cosmic twins" Gracie and Savanna first hit a rough patch when Savanna asks Gracie to lie about her budding romance with a college boy. Sheldon's depiction of a relationship that ends "not with a bang but with a whimper" is poignant and insightful.

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2010

(4) YA In this companion to Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America, Brooklyn-bred Cherokee Salamanca grudgingly agrees to spend her summer in London, figuring it has to be better than staying home. During her six-week stay she manages to tour popular and offbeat London attractions and change the lives of her hosts. Cherokee's assertive personality and the lively dialogue will distract readers from the slow-moving plot.

Reviewer: Amanda Mc. MacGregor

(2) YA Drama queen Lola once again locks horns with her rival, Carla, in this summer-after-graduation farce. A Hollywood movie being filmed in Dellwood has Lola embarking on a series of outrageous stratagems to snag a role as an extra. A satisfying conclusion recasts the comedy as less shallow than it lets on, rewarding those who like a little substance with their chick lit.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2006

(4) YA Sophie is disappointed when her parents tell her they aren't summering in France, so when her mom suggests spending the vacation with an old friend in New York, Sophie jumps at the chance. Once in Brooklyn (not Manhattan), British Sophie's haughty reaction to her surroundings and exchange family is believable and entertaining, but her quick turnaround is a little hard to buy.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(3) YA Amusingly self-centered sixteen-year-old Janet describes her family and friends, including best friend Disha, with whom she embarks on a "Dark Phase" (so they can "get in touch with the deepest levels of human angst"), and her pagan-lesbian-feminist-vegan aunt Sappho. Fans of Louise Rennison's Bridget Jones--like novels may enjoy this lightweight comedy in diary form.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) YA Teenage drama queen Lola is back, this time bullying her "shy and retiring" friend, narrator Ella, into running for class president. But popular Carla Santini is running too, and she has some dirty tricks up her sleeve. Familiar plot elements are well handled (such as Ella's decision to stand up for herself), while a subplot about Ella confronting her mother's alcoholism adds unexpected grace notes.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(3) YA A flamboyant New Yorker transplanted to the suburbs, Lola wins the lead in the school play and the enmity of school royalty Carla Santini. In theatrical one-upmanship, Carla challenges Lola and her steady, surprising friend Ella to crash a celebrity party Carla's been invited to. Lola's unique, dramatic voice describes high school power dynamics with frankness and an almost unflappable self-confidence.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam