Summary
Kat and Jules are neighbors and friends. They’ve been friends for like, ever. Kat has a flair for fashion, and Jules has a flair for Shakespeare and being green. Its all been cool for awhile, but now they are in the 8th grade and the tension is running a little bit high. And now that Kat’s popular blog has been spotted by Glitter Girl, an up and coming line of cosmetics, and has been asked to be one of their “Alpha Girls”, things just got a whole lot harder. How far will Kat go to become the new face of Glitter Girl? And will she lose Jules in the process?
Review
When the press release for Glitter Girl first hit my inbox I was ecstatic. I know, it sounds like hyperbole, but its not. I love my faith. And I mostly like Catholic books. But sometimes I want to read a book that doesn’t hit me over the head with truth. I like to read between the lines and see it all play out. I imagine the under 18 crowd enjoys the same.
Back to the press release. It said the book is by Catholic authors. And it also said the book received favorable reviews from Kirkus. Say what? So I asked for a review copy.
What a breath of fresh air this book was! The world wasn’t poised to end. It wasn’t a life or death situation if Kat gave up her blog. She wasn’t trying to save the world. Well, maybe just pretty it up a little a la Glitter Girl Cosmetics. As you might imagine in a book about 8th grade girls and make up, there is some angst. Cyber bullying is also touched upon as Kat is drawn into the determined consumerism. She also grows a little bit mean. After all, how can she expect to move forward as Glitter Girl Alpha Girl and (fingers crossed!) the national face of Glitter Girl Cosmetics if she’s friends with dowdy Jules? Glitter Girls don’t speak Shakespeare!
That said, Kat learns all that glitters is NOT gold. Heck! Sometimes its not even fashionable! And she learns that friendships are sometimes worth more than gold. The book resolves naturally while avoiding preachy moral platitudes.
The prose is age appropriate – the book is targeted to girls ages 8-12 – and not at all dumbed down. The characters read a little flat to me, but not enough to keep me from caring about or believing in them. I question the content suitability for the targeted age rage, though. I’m not sure 8 year olds can relate to the fashionista and I’m not sure I want them to relate to the few times “tongue kissing” was mentioned in passing. Rather, I would recommend it for ages 10 -14.
All in all a fun read. And a good, clean, secular book that won’t scandalize its readers.
What You Need to Know
- Role Models/Authority Figures – Kat’s parents seem as if they’re headed for divorce – but work it out in the end! Jules parents are still married, too.
- Violence – No physical violence, but hurtful cyber bullying. Its reconciled.
- SexualContent – Some kissing, a few mentions of “tongue kissing”
- Consumerism – One of the themes of the book is to avoid consumerism
- Drinking/Smoking/Drugs – None
- Religion – No religion mentioned, but a good moral tale
- Other –
- Awards
