Wednesday, April 12, 2006

So Super Starry, by Rose Wilkins

Octavia goes to a posh London high school for children of the elite (rock stars, movie stars, etc.). Her own mother is the star of a long-running sitcom and her father is a rising movie director of art films who has just snagged sexy heartthrob Blake Montague for his new picture. But even if Octavia hangs with the rich and famous -- it is not a world that she feels as comfortable in as her mother and classmates. And having her first boyfriend opens all sorts of revelations for her about who she is and who she wants to be.

Wilkins is basically a British Meg Cabot, but unlike the heroines of Princess Diaries or All-American Girl, Octavia doesn't really have any particular talent of her own (except her sincerity). In the end, it is hard to feel much empathy for this mature, yet rather mopey, 15 year old. Her primary quirk seems to be her heighth, but it never becomes much of a plot driver. Instead, this is the rather familiar girl-meets-boy-but-decides-that-she's-better-than-him story. Satisfying, but ultimately predictable.

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