June 11, 2007
This bland but sweet-natured tale centers on Flan Flood, younger sister of notorious Patch, a central character in Minter's Insiders series, from which this novel has been spun off. Tired of living in the reflected glow of her glamorous siblings, Flan has left her private all-girl school to attend Stuyvesant High School, the competitive public high school in downtown Manhattan. There she befriends Judith and Meredith, two thinly characterized girls who are also refugees from private schools. A love interest effortlessly materializes in the form of “the second-cutest boy in tenth grade.” Predictable hijinks ensue as Flan attempts to keep her cooler-than-thou background a secret from her new crowd, while also accommodating the needs of three glitzy pals (including a needy teen star on the run from paparazzi) who have set up camp in the Flood family's Greenwich Village brownstone. It's assumed that Flan's high school friends will be intimidated if she reveals the truth about herself, yet some of the book's most humorous (and oddly touching) bits revolve around the fashionista set's fascination with the down-to-earth details of ordinary teenage existence. Fans of the Insiders series will likely welcome Flan's slightly more down-to-earth take on New York City life. Ages 12-up.
July 1, 2007
Gr 9 Up-The glam world of Patch Flood, familiar to readers of "The Insiders" novels (Bloomsbury), lights his younger sister's life with the same privileged and wealthy glow. Flan wants to forge something of a separate identity and emerges from private school to try her luck at a New York City public school for her freshman year. She makes new friends there and is invited to a party. This typical teen-novel scenario is knocked askew by Flan's high-society house crashers: Sara Beth, a former child TV star made unbalanced by paranoia and paparazzi; Liesel, a socialite who makes or breaks new NYC clubs; and Philippa, the star-crossed lover of one of Patch's insider friends. Within a few days of the start of school, all three are staying with Flan, whose parents and older siblings are off doing their own things, leaving the 14-year-old to figure out how to keep her two worlds from colliding. She can't let her new gang find out that she's already part of the ü ber-cool kings and queens of the city; her celebrity friends sigh wistfully for her new "normal" pursuits. While some of the seemingly requisite posing, drinking, and clubbing occur, Flan is actually a kind girl caught in a dilemma she manages to solve with sincerity. Tamer than most of its counterparts in the genre, and with some semblance of a moral compass, "Inside Girl" should be popular for a light summer read."Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA"
Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2007
Minter focuses on a minor character drawn from her Insiders series in this spin-off. Flan Flood has decided to leave behind the world of rich socialites to attend public school, where she has a chance to live what might resemble a normal life. She befriends two other new freshmen, and delights in sleepovers and regular parties in peoples homes (instead of hitting the hottest clubs). However, she is still trying to keep up with the former socialite life she used to lead, as her best friend, Sara-Beth Benny (think Mary-Kate Olsen), has decided to move in with her to escape the paparazzi. Eventually and predictably, the two worlds collide. Theres slightly more substance here than in the Insiders series, but the primary draw will be celebrity gossip and peeks at the world of the ultra-rich. Perfect for a day at the beach, and not as sex-oriented as the Gossip Girl series, this is a true lite read that will draw teen girls who enjoy celebrity magazines.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)