Better Off Famous?
by Jane Mendle
by Jane Mendle
BETTER OFF FAMOUS? by Jane Mendle
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 10/30/07
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
Rating: 4 Stars
Annie Hoffman can’t seem to get anything right. She can’t get her driver’s license, making her the only almost sixteen-
year-old without one, meaning it's back to the buses. She can’t get into Juilliard, since apparently she doesn’t have
much talent playing the violin. She can’t get the guy of her dreams to notice her. And she can’t get out of her stupid
school with its stupid lunches.
One thing Annie can do, though, is make a talent agent take interest in her, making him give her a card, which would
then land her in the newest and hottest teen soap drama, Country Day. Its certainly pays to leave an audition nearly
crying; you never know who might notice your acting skills.
Everything goes from okay to awesome for Annie. She becomes America’s sweetheart and is on the cover of every
celebrity publication there is.
But Annie soon finds out that the biggest and best shot the paparazzi can take is when a celebrity is at their worst. And
once it is printed for everyone to see, those who once adored her turn on her easily, even when they don’t know the
entire story. It’s up to Annie to find her true self and, hopefully, find her way out of the negative limelight.
Not like the other novels that take on the plot of the girl-next-door who instantly becomes a teen sensation, BETTER
OFF FAMOUS? has a mind of its own. With its realistic story of a girl lost in the limelight, struggling her way to get
back to normal, with cameras following her every move, Jane Mendle creates a story that mirrors the mistakes that
those we have all taken notice of make every day.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 10/30/07
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
Rating: 4 Stars
Annie Hoffman can’t seem to get anything right. She can’t get her driver’s license, making her the only almost sixteen-
year-old without one, meaning it's back to the buses. She can’t get into Juilliard, since apparently she doesn’t have
much talent playing the violin. She can’t get the guy of her dreams to notice her. And she can’t get out of her stupid
school with its stupid lunches.
One thing Annie can do, though, is make a talent agent take interest in her, making him give her a card, which would
then land her in the newest and hottest teen soap drama, Country Day. Its certainly pays to leave an audition nearly
crying; you never know who might notice your acting skills.
Everything goes from okay to awesome for Annie. She becomes America’s sweetheart and is on the cover of every
celebrity publication there is.
But Annie soon finds out that the biggest and best shot the paparazzi can take is when a celebrity is at their worst. And
once it is printed for everyone to see, those who once adored her turn on her easily, even when they don’t know the
entire story. It’s up to Annie to find her true self and, hopefully, find her way out of the negative limelight.
Not like the other novels that take on the plot of the girl-next-door who instantly becomes a teen sensation, BETTER
OFF FAMOUS? has a mind of its own. With its realistic story of a girl lost in the limelight, struggling her way to get
back to normal, with cameras following her every move, Jane Mendle creates a story that mirrors the mistakes that
those we have all taken notice of make every day.