Teen Idol

Starred review from August 30, 2004
Cabot (Princess Diaries
) revisits her Hoosier roots, taking something of a break from the glitzy world of Genovia's royalty. But not too much of a break, since this brisk and bubbly tale explores what happens when teen heartthrob Luke Striker attempts to spend a week posing as an ordinary high school student in a small Indiana town, in order to research his next movie role. Luke's host (and the novel's peppy narrator) is Jenny, a well-liked junior at Clayton High who has her own secrets: she anonymously pens "Ask Annie," the school paper's advice column, excerpts of which appear before each of the novel's chapters. And she nurses a half-acknowledged crush on the paper's editor, Scott, who is dating someone else. Shocked by the cruelty of real-life high school, Luke convinces Jenny to become a force for good—to no longer simply be everybody's pal but to champion the downtrodden (such as the school's least popular girl, Cara "Cow") and fight for what's right (the return of a favorite teacher's kidnapped Cabbage Patch doll). As a reward, of sorts, Luke promises to come back to town to take Jenny to the high school's Spring Fling. The down-to-earth high school setting, peopled with recognizable, fully realized characters and ably described by Jenny, provides a sturdy springboard for the over-the-top Hollywood plotline, which Cabot delivers with a wink. A snappy and fun read that is—no doubt—soon to be ready for its own close-up. Ages 12-up.

August 29, 2005
In a starred review, PW
wrote, "Cabot's brisk and bubbly tale explores what happens when teen heartthrob Luke Striker attempts to spend a week posing as an ordinary high school student in a small Indiana town." Ages 12-up.

August 1, 2004
Gr 7 -10-Nothing much happens in the small town of Clayton, IN. At least not until major teen heartthrob, 19-year-old Luke Striker, comes to town to research a part for a new film project. Jen Greenley, a junior at the local high school and all-around friend to everyone, is assigned to show him around. The only problem is that no one besides Jen is supposed to know who he really is. Between keeping his identity a secret, lying to her best friend who's Luke's biggest fan, writing the advice column for the school paper, and developing a crush on her friend Scott who happens to already have a girlfriend, Jen is feeling a little overwhelmed. The characters are funny and engaging and the dialogue is just right; both elements redeem the somewhat predictable plot.-Ginny Collier, Dekalb County Public Library, Chamblee, GA

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2005
As the anonymous author of her school newspaper's advice column, Jenny has lots of experience keeping secrets. Now shes entrusted with the biggest secret yet: the new kid at school is really teen movie star Luke Striker. In Cabot's entertaining but far-fetched romantic comedy, Luke helps Jenny turn her high school into a more caring, accepting community.

(Copyright 2005 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

October 1, 2004
Gr. 7-11. To research an upcoming movie role, teen actor and heartthrob Luke Striker goes undercover as a new student at a small Indiana high school. Junior Jenny Greenley (the archetypal girl-next-door) is assigned to be his student guide, and she must swear to help keep his identity a secret. Jenny is great at keeping secrets: no one has guessed that she is the face behind the school newspaper's agony column, "Ask Annie." This predictable but wholly satisfying combination of three love stories reads like a cross between a teen sitcom and " Much Ado about Nothing" . Cabot has an uncanny ear for both teen dialogue and interior monologue, and she punctuates the plot with aptly selected excerpts from "Ask Annie" and instant messages. The text is peppered with pop-culture references that may date the story eventually, but which, for the moment, give it an extra jolt of immediacy. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)