Bass Ackwards and Belly Up
Grade 9 Up–Harper, an overconfident high school grad who has only applied to one college, is (surprise, surprise) rejected. To make matters worse, she lies to her three best friends, convincing them that she has chosen to postpone college to live in her parents' basement in Boulder, CO, and follow her dreams by drafting the Great American Novel. Adding to her guilt, she inspires two of the other three to also ditch their college plans to follow their dreams. The story bounces back and forth among the four girls and their adventures as an actual college freshman, an aspiring author, an aspiring Hollywood actress, and a backpacking European tourist. Heavy on adjectives, the book drags a bit at the outset, but the pace quickens as each young woman develops a romantic interest, and the multiple story threads help maintain readers' interest. Although it lacks the novelty of a magical pair of jeans connecting the narratives, this novel might be another good choice for readers who have exhausted Ann Brashares's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (Delacorte).–Leah Krippner, Harlem High School, Machesney Park, ILCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.