2008-10-10 Courtesy of Teens Read Too

I admit it. I was a bit skeptical when I heard that one of the Cheetah Girls, Sabrina Bryan, was going to have a book coming out. And after reading the first two chapters, I was starting to think my doubts had basis. But... (and this is a huge but...) when I hit Chapter 3, everything changed. I got sucked into the story!

Avery Johnson is an average girl. She's just moved to L.A. with her parents from Ohio. Her parents have decided to start their own promotions company, and L.A. is the place to be. Surprisingly, few tears were shed by her friends when she announced her impending move. They're more interested in her ability to meet celebrities and send them the inside scoops and autographs. So she figures she can recreate herself in L.A.

Avery has little success in even spotting anyone famous, let alone hoping to get any autographs, when on a whim she creates the Princess of Gossip website. She doesn't have anything to add to it, but she's hopeful that someday she'll have something she can post there.

Once in L.A., Avery is considered a nobody in a sea of faces at her public school. But she knows who the "It" people are, and she's not one. Cecilia Singer is It. The day she is assigned to work with Cecilia and Griffin King in English, Avery makes a complete fool of herself. Before long, the entire school has heard of the faux pas she's made. Freaking out, she can't face the cafeteria at lunch, and hides in the bathroom. There, she's befriended by Jenna. Jenna sneaks her into the computer lab over lunch, and their friendship forms. The lab is run by Jenna's brother, Sebastian, so they're home free.

One day, Avery hears a new song by an unknown artist, Marisa. She signs up for email updates on Marisa, but unknowingly, the record label mistakes her for Marisa's publicity agent with a similar name. Almost immediately, Avery is flooded with inside information.

On a personal quest to ensure that Marisa's awesome new song gets noticed, she creates a Team Marisa MySpace page. But she wants to do more. With the help of Sebastian, they create a virtual webpage, M World. Sebastian is working on a project to ensure a scholarship to CalTech, and Avery wants to bring notice to Marisa's music. Both MySpace and M World are an instant success.

Soon, Avery is receiving perks through her website. She's anonymous to everyone, but through the use of Sebastian's PO Box, goodies and freebies start flooding in. Avery and her friends can't help themselves and get caught up in the glamour of celebrity. But she doesn't stop there. She resurrects her Princess of Gossip page and starts posting on there all the insider scoops she's acquiring while living the life her perks have afforded her.

But the good ride can't last forever, and soon her secret is out and people are getting hurt. Avery has to figure out a way to save face and apologize to her friends and to Marisa.

I absolutely loved PRINCESS OF GOSSIP. The story was woven to show how a normal girl can get caught up in the glamour without realizing it. From the start, Avery tries to do the honorable thing by declining the gifts that start flooding her way. But with Jenna's encouragement and excitement, the attraction to the celebrities soon overtakes Avery. Her grades and friendships start to suffer and she needs to slow down and reevaluate everything. She remembers the words to the song Marisa wrote that originally started the cascade, and she has to get back to the place she was when she first heard the lyrics.

Pick up PRINCESS OF GOSSIP. You'll see that Sabrina Bryan is more than just a singer. She has a future in writing now, too!

Reviewed by: Jaglvr