Runaway

August 1, 2010

Gr 7 Up-In this final volume in the trilogy, Em Watts is being held captive by Brandon Stark, son of evil billionaire entrepreneur Robert Stark. Thanks to a forced brain transplant, the teen has been living in the body of superstar model Nikki Howard. Em manages to break out of Brandon's place and find her way back to NYC, but of course, it's impossible to hide when you're a world-famous celebrity. With the help of her tech-savvy friend, Felix, she uncovers Robert Stark's top-secret venture, Project Phoenix, and ultimately reveals it to the public. A bit slow-moving in the middle, the story really picks up as all the loose ends are tied up. Several romantic subplots with secondary characters provide humorous moments, as does the strong narrative voice. Despite its sci-fi premise, this is pure Cabot. At its essence are discussions of femininity and the premium that society places on beauty and youth, all wrapped up in a surface-level fluffy read full of brand-name-dropping and glamour.-Jennifer Barnes, formerly at Homewood Library, IL

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