The Truth About My Success

April 13, 2015
Sheldon (One or Two Things I Learned About Love) offers a fun, contemporary twist on the “Prince and the Pauper” theme. It all starts when 16-year-old TV star Paloma Rose gets caught up in a scandal. Unbeknownst to Paloma, her narcissistic mother and agent hatch a plan to send her to a rehab center on a remote ranch to prevent more media attention, but they need to find a replacement for Paloma to fool the public. Lookalike Oona Ginness, who waits tables at a coffee shop, seems to fit the bill. Desperately in need of money, Oona agrees to pose as Paloma for a generous salary while Paloma is whisked away to rehab, thinking she’s going on a luxury vacation. Compassionate Oona and self-absorbed Paloma are striking (and entertaining) foils, neither exactly thrilled with her new lifestyle. Luckily, both are smart enough to play a few tricks of their own to get their way. The book’s slightly larger-than-life characters and plot offer some hilarious scenarios as both teens learn a bit about power, greed, compassion, and what they want in life. Ages 12–up.

May 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-A Prince and the Pauper tale set in Hollywood. Paloma Rose is a 16-year-old starlet. Her television show, Angel in the House, has made her a household name. However, her increasingly scandalous behavior threatens to derail the path to stardom set out by her mother, Leone, and agent, Jack. In an act of desperation, Leone and Jack send Paloma off to a ranch for delinquents. In her place they hire Oona, a down-on-her-luck teenage waitress with looks remarkably similar to Paloma. While Oona learns to be Paloma and navigate the unexpectedly sad and stressful world of an actress, Paloma begins therapy and learns skills that she's never had to think about-cooking, cleaning, and controlling her temper. While the story line is very readable, this work is written in a detached, judgmental, third-person narrative, which hampers readers' ability to immerse themselves in the story. The characters are slow to develop, but the teens will eventually win over readers. The dialogue is occasionally unbelievable (a teen caught drinking and shoplifting uses "pig crap" as an expletive), though the plot is engaging and takes off quickly. VERDICT Despite its flaws, this novel will be an easy sell to teens who enjoyed Mean Girls and are looking for light drama.-Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
A struggling waitress trades places with a spoiled-brat TV star in this comedy.Sixteen-year-old Paloma doesn't know it yet, but her tantrums are jeopardizing not only her own income, but, much worse, that of her greedy mother and agent. Paloma's emotional maturity is on par with that of a toddler, and the sponsors of her once-popular TV series just might pull the plug on future seasons. Her mom, Leone, and agent, Jack, concoct a plan. They have met a girl, Oona, who looks remarkably like Paloma and offer to pay her big bucks to impersonate the star while they send the real Paloma off to "brat camp." Oona has difficulty with the exacting Leone, but she finds her acting duties to be easy. The show improves, and the sponsors are happy. Meanwhile, Paloma learns that her tantrums won't get her what she wants at problem-teen rehab, so she decides to cooperate until she can get out. However, just when Leone and Jack believe their plan has succeeded beyond their dreams, events take a different turn. Sheldon writes sophisticated, droll humor throughout, balancing comedy against the character development of the two girls. Writing in alternate chapters for each, she weaves the story together from two quite different viewpoints. Descriptions of Paloma's ultraluxurious, superficial Hollywood lifestyle meet Oona's real world, and real emotions result along with the laughter.Constantly funny, splendidly witty: a bull's-eye. (Fiction. 12-18)

April 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 Sheldon's latest outing mashes elements of Pretty Woman with The Prince and the Pauper to create a twenty-first-century answer to The Slums of Beverly Hills. Oona Ginness is a poor teen with a grief-stricken, alcoholic father and the absurdly bad luck to resemble Hollywood wild child Paloma Rose, whose squeaky-clean teenybopper image is swirling down the toilet as she tantrums and parties her way to oblivion. Paloma's handlers coerce Oona into swapping places with the star, solving their cash-flow problems while Paloma is sent to a rehab-style dude ranch. Sheldon deftly reveals the inner lives of both teens, troubled on either end of the social and financial spectrum, as they are affected by choices made by the adults around them. Paloma comes off like a combination of Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus at their most troubled; Oona, meanwhile, uses her quiet skepticism and warmth to vastly improve upon Paloma's reputation. Recommend this to teens who appreciate wry commentary on contemporary life.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)