Plot Summary:Girl Stays in the Picture follows the lives of three teen girls as they navigate their way through Saint Tropez while working for a movie. Devon is a pop and movie star (and the daughter of an infamous former singer and model) who has gotten into a little trouble lately, and is trying to clean her image up in the press while simultaneously starring in a biopic in the tragic life of a 70s singer (think a fictitious version of Janis Joplin). Livia is the once overweight, but now skinny daughter of a famous producer that is working on Devon's movie, and Casey is your typical girl next door who has agreed to take on the job of personal assistant for her best friend Summer, an up and coming actress and pop star who is co-starring in the movie with Devon. Although they are all very different, the girls become fast friends and help each other through bad press, crazy bosses, sunburns and heartache.
Critical Evaluation:While De La Cruz won't be winning any Printz Honor awards for Girl Stays in the Picture, the Girl series is still a fun, beach read for teens (girls especially) that want to read a book that doesn't require too much thought. The characters seem believable enough, and Saint Tropez as a background provides enough fantastical details to whisk the reader away to white sand beaches, rolling hills and blowout bashes on yachts as big as the average person's house. The background is decadent, but the characters (at least the protagonists) are down to earth and believable, especially Casey, whose wide eyed innocence is perfectly captured during her first trip out of the country. If readers can't connect with Devon or Livia, they should be able to at least empathize with Casey, the only main character that isn't ridiculously rich and famous. This book may not be for everyone, but teens that enjoy the Gossip Girl Series or read perezhilton.com regularly will enjoy this series.
Reader's Annotation:Three girls all arrive on an island with a different agenda. Little do they know that when they team up they'll take it by storm. Watch out Saint Tropez, hurricane Devon, Livia and Casey is headed your way!
Author Information: Melissa De La Cruz is the author of many successful novels, including the Blue Blood series, the Ashleys series, the Angels on Sunset Boulevard series and the Au Pair series, as well as an autobiographical novel and several adult titles. De La Cruz grew up in Manila and eventually moved to the U.S. She lived in San Francisco until she graduated high school, then went on to get a BA in Art History and English at Columbia. She worked for many years as a fashion and beauty writer for many major magazine publications. She currently lives in New York and Los Angeles with her husband and daughter. (Information taken from the author's website http://melissa-delacruz.com/index.php/info/about/).
Curricular Ties: n/a
Genre:Chick Lit
Book talking ideas:
Have you ever been in a situation like Devon's where you had to repair a damaged reputation? What did you do? What advice would you give to Devon?
Gastric bypass surgery is a serious operation. Do you think Livia did the right thing by getting surgery at such a young age? What are the repercussions of getting such a surgery? The benefits?
Casey had problems as Summer's personal assistant. Do you think friends should employ other friends? What would you do in Casey's situation? How about in Summers?
Challenge issues: mild sexuality, drugs and drinking.
Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.
Interest Age:Grades 9 and up
Why I selected this piece:Melissa De La Cruz has written several successful series; Ashleys, Au Pairs, Blue Bloods and now, the Girl series. This is an author that a lot of teen girls read, and thus should be included in this blog roll.Plus, she is a San Francisco local!
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