Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance

July 1, 2011

Gr 7-10-In the hit TV show Jenna & Jonah's How to Be a Rock Star, A-list actors Charlie Tracker (Jenna) and Fielding Withers (Jonah) are neighbors and classmates who always see the sunny side of life, often breaking out into song and dance, thereby creating chart-topping singles. Jenna and Jonah are in love, much to the exuberant approval of their fans, catapulting the show's ratings to number one. At the end of season one, the network gave the teen idols an ultimatum: fall in love in real life or the show gets canceled. So, they chose love. They perfected the art of the dreamy gaze, the "walk'n'snug," and hand-holding, all while hurling whispers of sweet nothings at blistering speed through clenched teeth and pinched smiles. For four years, as their bank accounts soared exponentially to their ratings, they succeeded at fooling the public. They were not actually in love-or were they? When an unexpected scandal shatters the mirage, the show is canceled. Charlie and Fielding are sent to Oregon to perform in a summer stock production of Much Ado about Nothing. This proves to be the catalyst needed for some soul-searching and the discovery that love was there all along. Told in alternating viewpoints, Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin's novel (Walker, 2011) offers a look into the lives of young, rich, and famous actors. Dual narration provided by the spot-on voices of Jessica Almasy and Andy Parris is fabulous. The story line, although slightly predictable, makes for entertaining chick-lit.-Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH

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