by Jennifer Anne Moses
Scholastic Press
2014
304 pages
Available January 28, 2014
Vibrant, vivacious, fun, flirty and fabulous, Tales From My Closet is seriously entertaining.
Justine is the new girl in town and she hates it. Her dad works all the time, her mom gave up her dream to be a dancer and acts like a hover mother, the town of West Falls is boring and Justine's new bedroom is puke pink. She wants to meet new people but just doesn't want to be forced into a friendship with her neighbor the long legged, lithe goddess, popular girl Becka.
Beautiful, headstrong Becka is in love with an older man she met when she went to Paris. It's a secret she keeps from her psychologist/writer mother who happens to be obsessed with Becka's life, writing bestsellers about teenage woes and angst, much to Becka's chagrin. Becka feels like a lab rat or an experiment. About the last thing she wants is to meet the new neighbor and pretend to be friendly.
Robin is wardrobe obsessed. She will spend her last dime to own something fabulous and her serious shopping addiction is getting her into hot water and rising debt.
Polly likes the new girl's style. She thinks Justine's paper dress is fun and fashionable. She likes that Justine is not just a follower but a leader.
Ann has problems of her own. She's always being compared to her uber-smart older sister. Ann wants nothing to do with a Princeton education, and fears telling her parents that she wants to go into fashion. When she sees a trunk full of her grandmother's clothes, she knows she will be a fashion diva. Ann causes a sensation with her vintage look, and the girls notice.
Justine and Ann are the most developed characters, and Polly seems to get lost in the mix. Perhaps there should have been at least one less character and more interaction with fewer characters. Readers may not empathize with Becka when she is heartbroken. She seems clueless--has she never seen a Lifetime movie?
The fun cover and fabulous fashion will attract fashionistas and fashion wanna-be's.
Recommended grade 7-up. No language. "Going to the next step..." is mentioned but it doesn't happen. Justine is in over her head and offers to have sex with her French "boyfriend," but is laughed at.
FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.
This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)
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