Gossip Girl: A Novel

von Ziegesar, Cecily. Gossip Girl: A Novel. Little, Brown and Company: 2002. ISBN: 0316910333.

Summary:
Life is all about perceptions. Blair Waldorf's life is ruined, over, at least that is her perception. To the rest of the world, Blair has it all; rich, beautiful, the most popular boy in school as a boyfriend, and she is the reigning queen of teen society in New York City. So what's Blair's problem? Serena van der Woodsen. Serena is Blair's ex-best friend and rival for Nate, her ever- so-popular boyfriend. With Serena away at boarding school, Blair was the center of attention, and she has no desire to go back to playing second fiddle. Rumor, innuendo and flat out lies make Serena's entry back into society difficult and that is just the way Blair likes it.

Evaluation:
This book is full of two faced, caddy people who I would not want to know. Cecily von Ziegesar does a good job conveying the shallowness of the characters, but her brush strokes stop there. There is no depth or connection with the characters, except maybe to feel sorry for Serena. Even that doesn't work because who feels sorry for a beautiful, rich girl. This book is a gateway to paperback romances. One unique format that is periodically throughout the book a copy of 'gossipgirl.net'. A gossipy website that recaps the action, if you can call it that, and gives predictions. Names of course are not used, but first initials are a complete give-away. This book has its place on the shelf, but with so many wonderful young adult books, it may get crowded out. If readers want a glimpse of New York City society, Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz is a much better read.

Reader's Annotation:
Money doesn't make you nice or even necessarily likable.

Bibliotherapeutic Uses:
This is for girls who think rich girls have it all. Obviously in the world of Gossip Girls, money doesn't buy real friendship or happiness.

Genre:
Contemporary Living, Romance

Why I Included This Book:
My 16 year old daughter wanted to read this book in the 7th grade and I wouldn't let her based on what I had heard about it. That means she probably read it behind my back! But, I wanted to finally see if it was as bad as I thought.