Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Scholastic 2012
When eight girls woke up the week before homecoming they didn't know how much their lives would be altered.  Oh, most of them knew about the tradition, but didn't think it would happen to them.  There were too many to choose from.  But when they walked into school that morning, they found the list plastered everywhere with their names on it.
What is the List?  Two names from each class - the prettiest and the ugliest posted for everyone to see.  It's a make or break situation for the girls all for different reasons.  People think the prettiest have it the easiest and no one wants to be the ugliest, but there it is in black and white for all the world to see.

Freshmen:
Abby Warner (who has to compete with her lackluster scholarly sister...she's only too happy to be voted prettiest)
Danielle Demarco (swimmer extraordinaire who's hurt by the nickname the list gives her, but knows she has the support of her boyfriend...)

Sophomores:
Lauren Finn (her first year in school after being home-schooled.  She may look and act awkward but being the prettiest will definitely help her fit in)
Candace Kinkaid (upset with the fact that she's the ugliest, she can't believe people would think that of her since she actually is the prettiest - and loves to let people know it)

Juniors:
Sarah Singer (she's the emo girl who likes to be left alone, proving her tough image by smoking and dressing radically)
Bridget Honeycutt (she has tried all summer to be perfect because of one little comment, but the weight is coming off and it feels good.  Only two more sizes and she'll be perfect...)

Seniors:
Jennifer Briggis (the only person in the entire history of the List to make it four times in a row as the ugliest!)
Margo Gable (the senior who has it all - the friends, the looks, the parties...a shoo-in for homecoming queen)

Slowly but surely, the metamorphosis begins in all of these girls' lives, both good and bad.  Little do they know they've been specifically chosen this year to make or break them.  But why? Who is behind the List?

Vivian takes a slice of life of high school girls, along with their drama, personal demons, and relationships to create eight unique characters that the reader will identify with.  That is what makes this a beauty of a girl read book.  The central plot is separated between all eight, with their own voices and stories told in alternating chapters, which will make readers polish this off quickly if only to find out what happens next and how ultimately, the girls lives being to intertwine.

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