ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Cabot is the bestselling author of the series The Princess Diaries. She has also authored other popular novels like Airhead, All American Girl, How to be Popular, Jinx, and Avalon High. She currently splits her time between New York, Florida, and Bloomington.
REVIEW
Life’s short. If you don’t try new things, you’ll never know what you’re best at.
Teen Idol is a teenage romance novel from the author of the bestselling series, The Princess Diaries. The 265-page paperback novel takes the readers into the life of Jenny, a high-school student, who makes some important decisions about her life. The story is beautifully set up against a high-school backdrop, which makes it a good choice for tween readers and instantly strikes a chord with them.
Jenny is a decent girl with a secret identity. She runs a column Ask Annie in the school paper. She is an interpersonal relationship expert, who advises her pals on various matters concerning love and life. While she is sweet and caring in real life, she transforms into a witty agony aunt when she addresses the concerns of Annie’s followers. Jenny also happens to be the effervescent narrator of the story.
Teen Idol explores the mayhem that occurs when teen sensation Luke Striker visits the high school to do some research for his upcoming movie. Jenny plays host to Luke, the most coveted visitor to the school, and is the only one to know about his secret. She takes it upon herself to make him understand the challenges faced by an average high school student.
As Jenny helps Luke fit in, she tries hard not to fall for the charms of the dashing teenage heartthrob. However, it soon dawns on her that she has a crush on the editor of the school newspaper, Scott.
Her interactions with Luke help her to learn new skills. She finally learns how to stand up for herself. Jenny also stands out a role model for the hopeless. Before Luke goes back to his extravagant lifestyle, he challenges Jenny to use her newly-acquired power to bring about a social change in her school.
Does she succeed in doing so? How does she use her newfound courage? And what change does she aim to achieve? These are the light-hearted questions that Teen Idol answers with panache.
The book is not short on wit and humor. It is a particularly enjoyable read for teenagers and like-minded young readers. This is all the more true if you are someone who is already familiar with Meg Cabot’s writing style. While the plot does tend to get slightly clichéd at times, it is definitely not a bad read overall. It is hard not to fall for Jenny and her peppy storytelling. All the characters in the book, such as Trina, Luke and Scott, are very easy to relate to and are extremely lovable. All in all, Teen Idol offers everything that a teen could ask for: love, comedy, fun, romance, and, most importantly, a happy ending.
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