Beauty

April 16, 2012
In her first YA novel, adult author Daily offers a modern fairy tale, a cross between Big and “Cinderella,” which begins at a fair in Miracle, Ohio. After a humiliating incident, sophomore Molly Davis flees to the edge of the fairgrounds, where she meets a mysterious artist who draws her portrait as Molly wishes she was “the most beautiful girl in Miracle.” Molly’s wish comes true, and suddenly she is the center of attention at school, impressing even the most popular kids with her dazzling good looks. All goes well until Molly’s new fans threaten to crowd out her old friends and, under the evil influence of the school’s former queen bee, Molly feels herself changing on the inside, and not for the better. While the book offers some variances on familiar themes, stock characters are overplayed, and the plot relies heavily on coincidence (such as the convenient ways Molly avoids showing her new face to her parents). The message is blatant, but die-hard romantics will enjoy the heroine’s acts of redemption and the happily-ever-after conclusion. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jenny Bent, Trident Media Group.

June 1, 2012

Gr 6-9-With her frizzy brown hair, gangly body, and average features, Molly is nothing special to look at. Still, she does have the best of BFFs, Kemper and Hayley, though lately Hayley has been acting as if she'd prefer a friend upgrade. Specifically, an upgrade to super popular classmate Ashley's circle. One night, at the Ohio State Fair, Hayley betrays Molly to win in-crowd points. Mortified, Molly runs off and finds herself in a seemingly abandoned area. There she meets an artist who offers to do a free portrait-just so she can get in some practice on a slow night. As the quiet of the night washes over Molly, she finds herself relaxing and spilling her troubles to the stranger. When the portrait is done, rolled, and stored in a tube-with a warning not to look-Molly heads straight home to bed, unbelievably exhausted. When she wakes up the next morning, she's beautiful, mesmerizing, and captivating. But will her newfound beauty, which is what she's always wanted, bring her true happiness? Molly's story is, on the surface, pretty standard fare. What distinguishes this novel is the easy flow of the writing and the believability of the characters. Molly is a great heroine, overcome by getting exactly what she wants. The plausible secondary characters make mistakes and have flaws. The plot adds some new elements to the traditional premise, making it more readable and adding some comic flair. The result is a fun, breezy story that teen girls will thoroughly enjoy.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL

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