Rating: Additional
HarperCollins, 2009, $16.99
ISBN: 9780061131035
Age/Grade Level: teen/high school
Boarding School lit is always a hit. Something about the confines of high school combined with prep school drama is a guaranteed fun read. Dirty Laundry is no different, flipping things around a bit since the students at The Winchester School are the cast-offs from other prep schools: they are the "dirty laundry" of the academic world. The two main characters here, Carli and Fun, narrate the story in alternating voice, giving a nice mix of flavors to the information provided and tone of voice. Carli is actually secretly researching prep school life for a TV role and Fun is stuck being her PA for her duration. This personality conflict, plus the mystery of a missing fellow student, give the story potential, but not much else. Carli is whiny, Fun complains and YELLS in all caps, and neither are particularly interesting.
One major pro is the two male characters, Fun and his buddy Nails, misfit emo artists who get their time to shine and rant--character types too often passed over in the world of Gossip Girl and Demonata. Additional title for larger teen collections, sure to get readership because of the drama and mystery elements.
Reviewer: Jacqueline Overlid, OCPL/Villa Park Branch
