Starring Me

June 15, 2012
Good things come to those who wait--and pray. Since winning America's Next Star, 17-year-old Chad Beacon is famous enough to call the shots when a network develops a clean, teen version of Saturday Night Live. Well, maybe Chad's not calling all of the shots yet. Since he will be spending so much time with his female co-star, his (presumably evangelical) Christian parents want to choose a Christian as his companion. A compromise is made: The network will narrow the talent pool to 10 girls, who will live together for a month while Chad's tutor (also described as a Christian) will serve as housemother and help with the selection. The third-person narration alternates between Chad and Kara McKormick, also 17 and a former reality-show star, who becomes one of the contenders. Although the two meet through mutual friends (including the president's son) and form an instant attraction, neither has any clue that they may be co-stars. And despite Kara's obvious distinction from her conniving fellow contenders, she may lose the role--and Chad--because she doesn't believe in God. Suddenly surrounded by believers and frightened by her dad's deteriorating health, a questioning Kara turns to God for support. Chad and Kara's outcome is predictable from the start, but their time spent being creative and typical teens in the context of their celebrity status keeps the narration fun for genre fans. (Christian chick-lit. 13 & up)

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September 1, 2012

Gr 7-11-Former reality show contestant and aspiring actress Kara McKormick, 17, has been chosen to participate in a monthlong audition to star in a new teen variety show with a secret celebrity cohost. The contestants are to live together while, unknown to them, their characters and religious qualities are being assessed as much as their acting abilities. Kara does not know that her potential costar is Chad Beacon, the America's Next Star winner, whom she can't stop thinking about since she met him at the White House with her friend Addy, who is in a relationship with the president's son. Chad is enamored of Kara, but because she is not a Christian, he can't see a future with her. Chad's devoted family assistant, Flora, goes undercover as the housemother to evaluate the girls' potential for the variety show and as a potential friend for Chad, and the relationship Kara forms with her is central to the plot development. Many people will root for Kara's conversion to Christianity and watch it unfold in an organic way. This story is well paced and easy to read. Scripts from Kara's many auditions are included. In general, this novel provides moral guidelines for youngsters in an increasingly reality-TV-filled world. The "Reading Group Guide" in the back matter states that the book is "loosely based on the story of Isaac and Rebekah in Genesis 24."-Danielle Farinacci, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, San Francisco, CA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

evaizabooknerd - Kara has always loved acting, and wished she could be on another TV show since her last one, The Book of Love. Then she gets a call. She has been asked to audition for a brand-new teen TV show, kind of like Saturday Night Live, but for teens. With her dream just out of grasp, will she be able to take a leap of faith and grab it? Chad has always wanted his own TV show, and he finally gets it. But because his family is Christian, they want to find his girl costar, because they are aware that the relationship between him and the girl might become something more than just friends. Then he meets Kara. He likes her, a lot. But she's not a Christian. Can he help her become one? He knows its impossible that she is trying out for his new teen show, but... could God bring them together? This inspiring, beautifully written Christian romance really depicts what it means to be a Christian, and the price you pay for fame.