Summary
Beautiful Serena is back from boarding school, which upsets Audrey Hepburn-obsessed Blair, as her onetime best friend knocks her out of the queen-bee position without even trying, and this on top of the fact that she has to deal with her mother's new boyfriend. Social climber Jenny looks up to Serena, Jenny's brother, mopey poet Dan, has an enormous crush on her. And everyone's comings and goings are reported and snarked-upon by the anonymous Gossip Girl, a website devoted to chronicling the daily lives of the rich and beautiful of Manhattan's Upper East Side.
As Blair tries to organize a fabulous fundraiser party, Serena gets involved in a strange art project, Blair's boyfriend and onetime-Serena hookup gets stones, and Dan's friend Vanessa tries to make films and be alternative.
Citation
Von Ziegesar, C. (2002). Gossip girl. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Impression
I have a not-so-secret weakness for stories about beautiful people in beautiful clothes doing awful things to each other, so really, this was just fine for me. It's not like this is a good book, but it is certainly entertaining, and sometimes mindless fluff is all a person really wants. It is a little obnoxious that nothing can be a bag, or a shirt, or a drink--it is all a Fancy Brand bag or shirt or drink. Still, this is a perfectly acceptable way to kill an hour or so.
Review
"Gr. 10-12. «Ever wondered what the lives of the chosen are really like? Well, I'm going to tell you because I'm one of them.» Gossip Girl is the anonymous narrator of this campy, scandal-hungry glimpse into the lives of privileged teens in Manhattan's Upper East Side. In between pages made to resemble Gossip Girl's Web site, with updated gossip about the characters, the novel follows its central characters through a few months of private school, drinking, shopping, pot-smoking, and sex (described in relatively non-explicit scenes). When «tall, eerily blond» Serena is kicked out of boarding school, she encounters rumors, ostracism, and romance with a boy from the other side of the tracks (the Upper West Side) as she tries to find her place again. The characters and their interactions have the depth (and parental guidance rating) of a raunchy teen movie, with the usual stereotypes, cat fights, and designer labels. And that's just why the book may attract eager readers. A sequel is expected in the fall."
Engberg, G. [Review of the book Gossip Girl, by C. Von Ziegesar]. Booklist. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/
Deliciously catty and immediately engrossing, this is the ultimate beach read for teenage girls, offering them a titillating peek into the heady world of Manhattan's well-heeled teens, private-school kids who "have unlimited access to money and booze," and-since their prominent self-involved parents are terribly busy and largely disinterested-"tons of privacy" as well. Appearances reign in von Ziegesar's world, and the kids are free to do as they choose as long as they don't "embarrass . . . the family by puking in public, pissing their pants, or ranting in the streets." Loading it with labels and writing in a breathless style, von Ziegesar amusingly and succinctly sums up her characters. For example, a mother's less-than-classy new boyfriend is described as looking "like someone who might help you pick out shoes at Saks." The plot in this private-school intrigue/slice-of-life drama concerns the homecoming of Serena van der Woodsen, a captivating hottie who "every boy wants and every girl wants to be." Once the undisputed ruler of the reigning clique at the select Spenford School, Serena becomes an instant outcast, as the jealous and ambitious Blair Waldorf, the new queen bee, is not willing to surrender power or her handsome boyfriend. It should be noted that various youngsters smoke cigarettes, have sex, use marijuana, drink alcohol, and throw up after meals, and while these activities are not glamorized, they are presented as business as usual. That caveat aside, girls should find this lightweight novel spicy, entertaining, and their own trashy fun.
(2002, April 15). [Review of the book Gossip Girl, by C. Von Ziegesar] Kirkus. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cecily-von-ziegesar/gossip-girl/#review
Uses
These books are short and breezy enough that reluctant readers should find them appealing.
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