Lily B. on the Brink of Cool

Young teenager (and future famous author) Lily Blennerhassett faces a deathly boring summer because her best friend has gone to camp. But prospects dramatically improve when Lily meets distant relatives at a wedding. They're definitely not typical Blennerhassett family--they're sophisticated, fashionable, and well-traveled. Even vegetarian! When Lily's uncool parents deny her permission to see the very cool LeBlancs, Lily shocks herself by sneaking out to see them anyway. This teenager's journal is ideally suited to audio, and reader Kaili Vernoff splendidly presents a 13-year-old's aspirations and uncertainties. Vernoff carries the listener through the whirlwind events and makes Lily's gullibility entirely believable. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

December 8, 2003
Kimmel (In the Stone Circle
) introduces a 13-year-old narrator who is by turns chirpy, sardonic, glib and melodramatic—and always likable. An aspiring novelist, Lily relays her story through journal entries whose various writing styles (first-person narrative, scripted dialogue, play-by-play reporting) help keep the tale moving at a brisk and entertaining clip. Lily laments the fact that she's stuck with "sadly unexciting parents" who keep her away from "everything interesting, loud, frosted, or exceeding 55 miles per hour," and understandably becomes intrigued by distant relatives she meets at a family wedding. The free-spirited LeBlancs and their daughter are not only physically striking and elegantly dressed, but they are, well, cool
. Self-described environmentalists and vegetarians, the trio defies hotel rules and takes a midnight swim in the pool—convincing Lily to join them. As this family repeatedly charms and swindles Lily, readers will foresee the consequences long before she does—and may well be a bit frustrated by her naiveté. But Lily's infatuation gives way to disgust—and remorse—after the LeBlancs (whose name is actually "White") finally go too far. There's a lesson to be learned here and Kimmel delivers it humorously and affectingly. Kids will deem Lily cool indeed. Ages 9-13.

June 14, 2004
A pitch-perfect tween/teen vibe? Varnoff has it in spades as Lily Blennerhassett, a 13-year-old aspiring writer with lots to share about the family, friends and life she considers fabulously boring and oh-so-uncool. In keeping with the novel's humorous 'Can-you-believe-this-is-happening-to-me?' tone, Varnoff effortlessly expresses Lily's exasperation with her parents, her penchant for typical teenage melodramatics and a blend of cockiness and insecurity—sometimes all in the space of a few sentences. Lily believes her social situation can't get worse when she's forced to attend a drab and bland family wedding. But when the cool LeBlanc family, described as "cousins of cousins," shows up looking very out of place, Lily has the impression that things will improve. She enjoys a brief, rebellious run at coolness as she befriends the newcomers, but soon discovers that the LeBlancs aren't what they appear to be, and her own parents aren't so bad after all. Snappy phrasing and lots of literary references will keep sharp listeners entertained and on their toes. Ages 9-13.

August 1, 2004
Gr 5-8-Summer vacation looks like it will be uneventful for 13-year-old Lily Blennerhassett-her best friend went to camp and her parents only believe in educational family outings. For an aspiring author, this doesn't give Lily much interesting material to write in her daily journal. Everything changes when Lily meets a family of distant relatives at her cousin's wedding. The LeBlancs and their teenage daughter Karma are sophisticated, glamorous, exciting, and totally cool. When they invite Lily to spend time with them, she ignores all the warning signs (and her parents' direct orders) and becomes completely captivated by the LeBlancs' activities. This family takes advantage of Lily's compassion and na vet, and Lily only realizes that they are despicable people as well as con-artists when they sue her parents for $1.3 million. Despite the outrageous scenarios depicted, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel has created an authentic teen character in Lily (HarperCollins, 2003), and narrator Kaili Vernoff gives her a true teen voice. The diary format doesn't work perfectly in a narrative, but Vernoff's expression gives listeners the feeling of hearing Lily's innermost thoughts. This fun and lighthearted audiobook is perfect for summer reading.-Casey Rondini, Hartford Public Library, CT

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.