cover image High Cheekbones

High Cheekbones

Erika Tamar. Viking Children's Books, $12.95 (251pp) ISBN 978-0-670-82843-2

Alice's life changes when she becomes a model at a top agency. Money and admiration pour in, until Alice is nearly swept off her feet. Then, in a predictable plot twist, Alice's beloved younger brother is involved in a serious accident, and Alice is forced to reassess her priorities. By the end of her first year of modeling, Alice has come to terms with both the glamorous and gritty sides of her new life. Though this story is packed with authentic detail, it lacks the earnestness that made the author's earlier work-- Goodbye, Glamour Girl --so appealing. The characters seem flat and as if they are at the mercy of the plot line. Though the story is predictable it will be of interest to the many teenage girls who are fascinated by fashion models and their world. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)