Will Work for Prom Dress

May 1, 2011

Gr 7 Up-Trying to earn enough money for an expensive prom dress, Quigley Johnson has worked at a series of strange jobs, such as placing toppings on frozen pizzas in a factory assembly line and playing a murder victim who falls facedown into a plateful of salad at a dinner theater production. None of them has turned out well, and she's not doing any better at college admissions or finding a date for the prom. The art institute she dreams of attending has turned her down, and the only guy who shows an interest in her is David, an arrogant know-it-all who refers to himself as the Art King and treats her as a competitor. However, when her friend Anne lines up a gig for them as models for a fashion-design course, things look as though they are taking a turn for the better. Quigley is paired up with cute, smart Zander, who creates beautiful designs for her, appreciates her artistic talent, and seems to be interested in her romantically as well as professionally. Complications ensue when David asks her out and does not take rejection well. By the conclusion of the novel, Quigley has learned some lessons about friendship and about making big decisions wisely, and all ends happily. While it touches on some serious issues, this is a fun, lighthearted read. Quigley's various employment experiences are laugh-out-loud funny, and Ferris achieves just the right snarky tone with the protagonist's descriptions of her misadventures.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJ

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.