Red Carpet Riot

October 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up-An amusing yet uneven installment in the series. Mallory's innovative new soap opera has garnered raves and Emmy nominations for her writing and for her mother's acting. Being a prodigy in the world of daytime drama is demanding enough, but the 16-year-old is also wrestling with boyfriend issues, formulating a plan to sabotage her mother's current relationship, and trying not to fail gym class. A story line leak to a soap-opera magazine leads to major friction between Mallory and her mother. The award ceremony can't come fast enough; when it finally does, with all its glamour, giddiness, and grotesquery, the show's stars and staff are in for some dramatic surprises. While the individual strengths of the three authorsChris Van Etten, David Ozanich, and David Levithanmake for some laugh-out-loud moments, several scenes, particularly those that switch between Mallory's television and school worlds, don't flow well. The novel's best moments poke fun at daytime drama, from revengeful actors demanding more face time to implausible story lines, breathless dialogue, and rabid fan-club presidents. Scenes set at the Emmys are particularly funny, especially the inane and pretentious dialogue parroted by presenters and outbursts on stage. In contrast, scenes involving Mallory at school are quite colorless. Buy where the series is popular."Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA"

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