Suite Scarlett

Author: Maureen Johnson

ISBN:978-0545096324

Publication Information: Point

Plot Summary:Scarlett Martin lives at the Hopewell Hotel, an old crumbling art deco building right on the park. During its heyday, it was the place to live if you were part of the theater business. Unfortunately, the hotel is no longer in its heyday, and the Martin family are struggling to keep the hotel in business. The Martin family has a hotel tradition, on each child's 15th birthday, they are entrusted with a room to take care of. For Scarlett, she inherits the Empire Suite, and on the same day, the eccentric Mrs. Amberson checks into the hotel and decides to stay in the Empire Suite for the summer, meaning Scarlett now has a suite and a guest to take care off. Mrs. Amberson takes Scarlett's hotel one step service and employs her as a personal assistant, sending Scarlett all over the city to buy tea, laptops and sushi, among other things. But it is when Mrs. Amberson takes an interest in Scarlett's brother Spencer's acting troupe that things get really interesting.

Critical Evaluation: Suite Scarlett is the perfect beach read, a great novel to recommend to teen girls that want something fun, light, and not too serious. Scarlett is a great protagonist for girls, she is funny and smart, but has enough teen angst about crushes and family for most girls to relate with. One interesting twist in the novel is the short snippets of reviews or mentions of the Hopewell Hotel in guide books. It makes the story feel a little more real, and also firmly cements the hotel as a historical part of the Broadway and theater scene. Suite Scarlett may not be the next Printz award winner, but she creates interesting characters, snappy dialogue, and an interesting enough plot. This book is sure to be a hit on any summer or "beach reads" book list.

Reader's Annotation: For each child in the Martin family's 15th birthday, they always receive two things, a phone and a hotel room to take care of. For Scarlett's birthday, not only did she get a cell phone and a hotel room, but an eccentric guest to take care of to boot. Something tells Scarlett that this year is going to be different.

Author Information:Maureen Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is an only child. She attended college at the University of Delaware, and graduated with a bachelor degree in writing, she went on to study writing and theatrical dramaturgy for graduate school at Columbia University. She has also spent time in Edinburgh, Scotland while on a writing fellowship. She is currently living in New York, working on a new collections called Zombies vs. Unicorns. (Information taken from the author's website http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/about/)

Curricular Ties:Theater

Genre:Chick Lit, Contemporary Life

Book talking ideas:

• Why is it so important to Mr. and Mrs. Martin that Spencer give up his acting career?
• Discuss Marlene and Scarlett's relationship. Is Marlene really as bratty as Scarlett thinks she is? Why or why not?
• Is Lola happy in her relationship with Chip? Why or why not?
  

Challenge issues:N/A

Interest Age: Grades 7 and up

Why I selected this piece: I love New York, and I love theater, so I thought this would be a fun read.