Better Off Famous?
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.