The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

author’s website: Kay Cassidy
release date: April 13, 2010
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Contemporary/Chick Lit
length: 336 pages
overall rating: 5 stars

*the inside flap*
What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?
Sixteen-year-old Jess Parker has always been an outsider. So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret sisterhood of the most popular girls in school, it’s like something out of a fairy tale. Swept up by the Cindys’ magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she’s finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds – led by Jess’s archenemy – begin targeting innocent girls in their high-school war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there’s more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside. She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good v. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her. Is it a coincidence that her new boyfriend doesn’t want to be seen with her? And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

*my review*
The Cinderella Society was an excellent story that was fun to read and hard to put down!

The Cindys seem kind of like a tech-savvy cross between Charlie’s Angels, a sorority, and a volunteer service, and sound pretty amazing. I especially loved that they push messages that all girls need to learn, basically that knowing yourself and being yourself makes you confident. The “signature style” piece connects directly to that. Having a signature style isn’t about being “cool” – it’s about being you. I also loved their policy of “no Wicked talk” even about yourself and even if you’re just thinking it. In a world with digital editing, it is really easy for girls to have negative thoughts and feelings, but this book really teaches that we shouldn’t let ourselves dwell on the negatives.

The other piece of advice I took from this book was the rule of 5s (p. 87). Basically, before you stress out or freak out about something, you should think about whether it will matter in 5 minutes, 5 weeks, or 5 months. It’s pretty good advice to people of all ages! I’ve found myself thinking about that advice since I read the book, and it helps to give perspective to things.

Overall, this book was quite fun to read. I’d absolutely recommend it and I’m looking forward to the next book (spring 2011), too!

*short and snappy*
writing: light and fun, but the book also addressed some really important concepts revolving around being true to yourself
plot: there was a lot more suspense and mystery in this book than I thought there would be
characters: realistic (mostly) – The characters in the story all have very realistic features (both positive and negative) that make them real. I’m interested to learn more about them in the upcoming books
judging by the cover: A cute cover that doesn’t give too much away.
miscellaneous: You can read an excerpt of Chapter 1 here. This is a 2010 Debut Author.

The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading
by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance

author’s website: thegeekgirlsguide.com/wordpress
release date: May 19, 2009
appeals to: Young Adult
genre: Contemporary
length: 352 pages
overall rating: 4 Stars

*the back cover*
When Bethany – self-proclaimed geek girl – makes the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there’s one thing worse than blending in with the lockers: getting noticed. She always felt comfortable as part of the nerd herd, but being a member of the most scrutinized group in her school is weighing her down like a ton of textbooks. Even her varsity cheerleading guide can’t answer the really tough questions, like: How do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt? What do you do when the head cheerleader spills her beer on you at your first in-crowd party”? And how do you know if your crush likes you for your mind . . . or your pom-poms?
One thing’s for sure: It’s going to take more than brains for this girl genius to cheer her way to the top of the pyramid.

*my review*
I really enjoyed this story – much more than I thought I would! I love the idea of breaking down the high-school clique stereotypes, and this novel did just that. Even better, it was realistically done – a girl who is a geek one day will not just be accepted as queen of the school the next day, and this novel makes that point. I like that Bethany and Moni weren’t just automatically popular because of cheerleading. Even more, I liked that their geeky friends weren’t hugely accepting of the change to cheerleader. Overall, I thought the book was a realistic look at what might happen if the geeky girl made the cheer squad.

*short and snappy*
writing: casual – reading this story felt like a conversation with Bethany over a cup of coffee, which made it fun to read
plot: simple, but realistic – there are ups, downs, and the occasional twist
characters: varied – Bethany was well developed, but I would have liked to learn more about Jack and even Moni.
judging by the cover: cute cover – it is what actually got me to pick up the book – I hadn’t heard of it before seeing it on the library shelf