Geek Charming

The perils of popularity are showcased in a lighthearted contemporary novel filled with snappy dialogue. The fun begins when A-lister Dylan drops her designer handbag in a mall’s fountain. Her geeky classmate Josh rescues it, and to return the favor, Dylan (reluctantly) agrees to star in his USC application film, documenting the “the inner workings of the in crowd” at Castle Heights High. Told from the alternating perspectives of the two teens, the story traces Dylan’s fall from grace as her friends recognize her back-stabbing tendencies around the same time she is dumped by her handsome boyfriend. Her trials parallel Josh’s rise in social status when Dylan gives him a makeover. Readers will likely feel more for Josh than for Dylan in the beginning (although his hypochondria does prove annoying), yet aspects of Dylan—even her shallowness—become increasingly endearing as her vulnerabilities come to light. Rather than following the predictable route of having opposites fall in love, Palmer (Cindy Ella ) offers a slightly more original and plausible alternative. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)