It's a Mall World After All - Hardcover

Rallison, Janette

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080278853X ISBN 13: 9780802788535

Publisher: Walker Childrens, 2006

Synopsis

It's too bad they don't give out diplomas for what you learn at the mall, because I could graduate with honors in that subject. No really. Since I've worked there, I've become an expert on all things shopping-related. For example, I can tell you right off who to distrust at the mall:

1) Skinny people who work at Cinnabon. I mean, if they're not eating the stuff they sell, how good can it be?

2) The salesladies at department store makeup counters. No matter what they tell you, buying all that lip gloss will not make you look like the pouty models in the store posters.

3) And most importantly―my best friend's boyfriend, Bryant, who showed up at the food court with a mysterious blonde draped on his arm.

Yeah, I saw it, and yeah, I told my best friend all about it.

You would think this would mean trouble for Bryant, but you would basically be wrong. Somehow, the evil boyfriend turned everything around, and now I'm the one who has to prove myself! But I will. Even if Bryant―and more importantly his best friend, Colton―keep trying to stop me.

About this title

About the Author

Janette Rallison was never a perfume sprayer, but she still spent way more time and money at the mall than her parents thought prudent. She learned many important things during her years as a mall connoisseur. For example, even if a guy looks remarkably like a guy from your school, you should really check and make certain before you rush up and throw your arms around him. Also, even if your parents insist they want to see you in that swimsuit before they buy it for you, do not under any circumstance step out of the dressing room. The boy you want to impress will be passing by, as will your high school football team, your English teacher, a tour of seniors snapping photos at that exact moment and capturing your day-glow-white thighs for all their relatives to see in future slideshows. Not that any of these things every personally happened to Janette, but you can check out other embarrassing experiences on her Web site: JanetteRallison.com
Janette has written five books for Walker & Company, including Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List. Janette lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband and four out of five of their children. (The fifth is at college, not wandering around lost under a clothes rack.)

Reviews

Grade 6-10–By people-watching at the mall, Charlotte learns who is on the prowl, who is depressed, and that her best friend's boyfriend is cheating. When she tells Brianna that Bryant was with another girl, she is accused of trying to split them up. Each of her attempts to catch him in the act is foiled by the handsome wrestler, Colton. Her clumsy antics don't help as she draws attention to herself by setting a table on fire, splattering fruit trays all over a room of society teens, and pushing Colton into a pool. To add to the predicament, Colton promises to use his father's financial resources to take Christmas presents to a group of underprivileged children if Charlotte will stop stalking his friend. Charlotte is deftly characterized, and her personality and history organically emerge. The same cannot be said for the other teens. The rich kids are stereotypical, Bryant is a cad, and Brianna is a damsel in distress. Although it is obvious from the beginning that Charlotte and Colton will end up together, it is hard to become invested in their budding relationship. What is compelling is Charlotte's desire to help the little boy she catches stealing shoes. That story, rather than the protagonist's relentless pursuit to catch Bryant, is the one that drives this novel.–Heather M. Campbell, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO
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Remember Clueless, the 1995 film that offered a Valley Girl take on Jane Austen? Rallison achieves a similar high-school romance in this story of teens who loathe each other but are oh-so-obviously going to be together before the book is over. Charlotte and Colton are both high-school seniors and honor students, but those are their only similarities. Colton is tremendously rich and quite comfortable in the preppy world. Charlotte is middle-class, socially conscious, and still bruised from middle-school teasing. No heavy messages or deep characterization here, but Rallison offers a fun romp of a read that's sure to please teens looking for something light and breezy. Debbie Carton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Walker Childrens
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080278853X
• ISBN 13: 9780802788535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240