California Holiday: Or, How the World's Worst Summer Job Gave Me a Great New Life
Grade 6 Up–On many levels, Rowan is a typical British teen, just finishing her exams, about to head off to university. She's sick of her younger brother and tired of the way that her life has been going. What separates her from other girls her age is that she chooses to go to America for the summer and be a nanny. Never mind that she has no experience, or that she's never been to the U.S.; she just wants to escape England. She flies to Seattle, where she works for a horrible couple and hates every minute. Her only friend is the pet iguana that is kept locked in a cage on the roof. When things get out of control, Rowan runs away with the lizard. She sets off toward San Francisco, but when her bus stops in Sacramento, she meets Landon, who talks her into following him to Truckee, CA. The first half of the book is rather sluggish, but once the two meet, the story picks up. Landon's not the greatest of guys (he's actually more of a jerk), but he does manage to show Rowan that you can't run from life. This title will appeal to Meg Cabot's fans, and the first-person narration will have them eagerly turning the pages.–Erin Dennington, Fairfax County Public Library, Chantilly, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.