Shukert, Rachel. Starstruck.12 March 2013, Delacorte Books
Margaret going to a finishing school in Pasadena in the 1930s and is obsessed with the Hollywood stars. Hanging out at Schwab's, she comes to the attention of a person at Olympus Pictures, and he invites her to come for a screen test. This doesn't go over well with her family, and when she is offered a contract, they tell her to never darken their door again. Since the glamorous Diana Chesterfield has gone missing, Olympus needs a new starlet for their historical epic, and Margaret is it. She is obsessed with fellow actor Dane, even though the studio sets her up with Jimmy, much to the dismay of her Judy Garland-esque friend Gabby. Many of the starlets in Hollywood have dark secrets, and Margaret soon finds that the glitter of Hollywood is not always what it seems.
Strengths: Anyone interested in the golden age of Hollywood will find the behind the scenes dealings in this interesting. Styles, types of actors, studio policy-- all of this aligns with what I know of this era.
Weaknesses: More of a YA book due to content, which includes a madame, homosexuality, and abortion. It's all done delicately and would be okay for high school, but there's so much that I will pass for middle school. I can't say I have any students interested in classic films.
Okay. I do try to keep current with technology, but doing so requires being on the computer, and I've discussed how this is NOT my favorite thing. At Jen Robinson's Book Page, I found out about another book site, Riffle (https://read.rifflebooks.com). I logged in through Facebook, which I hate, and did do a couple of lists, but I don't think I'll use it much. It's better than my nemesis, Pinterest (loathe, detest, abhor!), but not as useful to me as Goodreads, which I do find useful for making lists, getting publication dates, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment