The A-List by Zoey Dean

Module 8/SLIS 5420/July 26 - 31 Bibliography

Bibliography

Dean, Zoey. (2003). The A-List. New York: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 0-316-73435-7

Summary

Anna Percy chooses to leave her perfectly predictable, private school life in Manhattan for a new, exciting and spontaneous life with her father in Los Angeles. Along the way, literally, she meets who she thinks might be the man of her dreams... but is he? Beverly Hills has some surprises for Anna - new frenemies, new school (public! gasp!) and a whole new perspective on life.

My Impressions

I really expected to hate this book. I thought it would be fluff and annoying, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. Dean portrays her private-school, academic characters as witty and intelligent, if they are snobby and back-stabbing. Unfortunately, I think this is an accurate portrait of many rich, LA and Manhattan teens. Does that mean it is quality reading? Not necessarily, but it is fun and it's not bad writing.

Reviews

School Library Journal: Grade 9 Up-"Moving from Manhattan's elite world to "Hollyweird" presents Anna with quite a culture shock, but one that she's ready for. White gloves and tea give way to her drugged-out dad in the gazebo and a Hollywood celebrity's wedding where she is introduced to Ahi rolls. She discovers that all is not without controversy in LaLa land, and that beautiful girls are not always welcome in the inner circle, especially those who pick up the hunk whom all the insiders are lusting after. After surviving the evil competitors, bad yogurt, and a vengeful seatmate on the plane, Anna proves that gorgeous good girls can, and do, survive in L.A. All of those nasty, high-society types that populate the "Gossip Girl" series (Little, Brown) can be found here in bikinis and Oakleys instead of wool pashminas and Blahnik boots. Unfortunately, this book tries to be more than the others of its genre by making frequent use of words and phrases that don't fit the beach-baby scene, such as "-she wasn't one to snivel over the vagaries of her own existence." Fans of the series will flock to this book, but they may be a tad disappointed with the replay."
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
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Suggested Library Use

I'm not sure I can think of another use for this besides incorporating it into a "Summer Beach Read" list or book talk.