How My Private Personal Journal Became a Bestseller
Gr. 5-9. Fourteen-year-old Jamie is tired of feeling insecure: at home she's barraged with media images of physically flawless young women; at school, she's hassled by a gang of catty, manicured classmates. Venting her frustrations in her diary, she chronicles the adventures of invented superhero Isabella (IS) who, with her signature wrist flick, sends "positivity rays" that destroy her nemesis, Myrna, and her "evil clique of Populars." Through a wild chain of events, Jamie's IS stories become a published best-seller, and Jamie becomes a teen celebrity. DeVillers' frothy, humorous first novel is a giddy fairy tale, written in a combination of diary excerpts, instant messages, and Jamie's spot-on narration. Readers may wish that the novel contained more of the actual IS story that inspires such uproar, but they'll enjoy joining Jamie as she experiences both highs and lows, copes with fame and fortune, and tries to maintain her IS-like sense of self-empowerment. Recommend this to Meg Cabot fans, as well as aspiring authors, who might also enjoy Andrew Clements'The School Story(2001).Gillian EngbergCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.