Jet Set

January 1, 2009
Gr 8-11-An Army brat with a great tennis arm, Lucy Peterson is tired of her family's constant moving around and wants to settle at a school and make some long-term friends. She is accepted as a scholarship student at the Van Pelt Academy in Switzerland, a prestigious institution for the children of royalty, corporate magnates, rock stars, and the general elite. However, as she begins 10th grade, she worries that she won't fit in with her über-wealthy classmates. This story abounds with the trappings of teen novels: new friends, mean girls, crushes, confusing relationships, backstabbing, and more. Current stars, trends, designers, etc., are name-dropped throughout the book to showcase the extreme affluence of the student body and to contrast Lucy's situation and feelings of displacement. Lucy is a likable, if not always sympathetic, character. She and her supporting cast are never wholly developed, and some of her decisions seem very shallow. Still, this breezy novel is a fun read that will be popular with teen girls."Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL"

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