PLASTIC FANTASTIC by Simon Cheshire
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  3/14/06
    Publisher:  Delacorte
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Fifteen-year-old Dominic "Sherlock" Smith is a pretty normal guy.  He lives at home in England with his mom and dad
    (who both are quick to remind him that they have very demanding jobs that keep them away from home a lot), a
    younger brother, Seb, and his always-ailing Grandad and hippie-loving Granny.  He has a close circle of friends which
    include Amazon-looking girly-girl Tanya, raging sinusitis Tim, and concert- pianist-aspiring Emma.  But there is one
    thing about Dom that makes him different--his obsession with Plastic, the pop group led by singer Lisa Voyd.

    To Dom, Lisa is the epitome of womanhood.  She's beautiful, she has an amazing voice, she writes most of the band's
    lyrics, and he's her biggest fan.  Together with Tim and Tanya, Dom spends most of his time learning everything he can
    about Lisa (and, to a smaller extent, the other members of Plastic), dissecting every little fact printed in magazines and
    on the Web.

    He's seen Plastic in concert, he owns every CD they've ever released, his wardrobe mainly consists of Plastic logo-ed
    t-shirts, and now the ultimate fan appreciation event is about to take place--Lisa Voyd will be appearing, in person, at
    the grand opening of the new Big Deal Records store, autographing the band's new album.  And then something truly
    amazing happens.  Dom gets trapped in a lift with none other than Lisa herself, and suddenly, all of his illusions of the
    wonderful, amazing Lisa are being put to the test.

    Because in real life, the illustrious star of Plastic isn't as great as Dominic always thought.  The band isn't the perfect
    symbol of youth that he's made it out to be--which Lisa is quick to point out.  And as both Dom and Lisa realize things
    about themselves that they never even knew, all while trapped together in a lift in plain view of hundreds of screaming
    fans and television and news cameras, the ultimate pop princess and the ultimate fan just might learn something they've
    always needed to know.

    PLASTIC FANTASTIC is fun, breezy, and the ultimate read for anyone who has ever been the number one fan.  A
    great read!
Plastic Fantastic
by Simon Cheshire