Glitz

January 1, 2011

Though comfortable with her private school, protective Gramma and house in Toledo, devoted underground hip-hop fan Ann Michelle Lewis sometimes wonders if she's missing out. Enter Raquel Marissa Diaz, aka Raq, a slick fast-talker from Cincinnati who also loves hip-hop. Despite her snooty friends' distaste for the new girl and Gramma's insistence that Raq is "fast as the devil in a skyrocket," Ann Michelle befriends Raq. But when Raq's scheming turns the two girls' night on the town into several days on the road with rapper Piper and his entourage, Ann Michelle—re-christened Glitz—starts feeling pangs of conscience. The thrill of getting her idol's attention is contrasted with genuinely scary and unsettling moments like standing alone at an unsavory photographer's house party and fending off the advances of Piper's much older right-hand man. Tension and guilt build painfully even as Glitz realizes her dreams of adventure. There's enough wish fulfillment here to delight starry-eyed music lovers and enough cautionary realism to reassure a worried Gramma. (Fiction. 13 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

March 1, 2011

Gr 7-10-High school juniors Ann Michelle and Raquel love hip-hop and dream of becoming famous. They both have a crush on a rising artist, and when he performs in Toledo, OH, the girls sneak into the concert and meet him and his crew backstage. Piper invites them to his recording studio and then to go on the road with him, believing that they are older than they are. Ann Michelle has reservations but tags along, while Raq is willing to do anything to become a star. When things start to spiral out of control, Ann Michelle isn't sure she knows what to do. Throughout the novel, she struggles for independence, torn between her friend and her grandmother, who thoroughly disapproves of Raquel. Raq, who has been in and out of "juvie" several times, is outspoken, carefree, and irresistible. Ann Michelle begins to doubt Raq after running off with her. The female characters leave more of an impression than the males because their pasts are fleshed out. Piper and his crew barely speak. Although at times the novel seems like a cautionary tale, it is an easy title to recommend to those who like books with drama.-Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2011
Grades 8-12 Boles (Little Divas, 2006) here offers a cautionary tale of an innocent teen lost in the world of hip-hop music. The new girl at school, Raq, takes obedient Catholic schoolgirl Ann to a concert by their favorite artist, Piper MC. Raq uses her stunning looks and considerable moxie to get them into Pipers circle, and the girls hit the road with Piper and his entourage. Ann, renaming herself Glitz, vows to leave her demure self behind. Far-fetched? Yes, but also probably not far from many girls fantasies. A hip-hop spin on classic chick-lit themes of romance, fashion, and fitting it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)