The New Me

A Nebraska farm girl hits the big time in the first volume of the irresistibly titled (and trademarked) Ford Supermodels of the World series. When a snapshot of the lanky, wholesome-looking redhead (sent by her grandmother) piques the interest of Ford Models, Paige is invited to New York for a series of test photos. After a brief encounter with gracious, tea-sipping Eileen Ford (``And please, call me Eileen. All of our models do''), Paige is packed off to the cozy, dormitory-style apartment which she will share with five other aspiring mannequins and their motherly chaperone. Dazzled by her cosmopolitan roommates, Paige resolves to hide her relative lack of sophistication. When a cute boy asks her out, Paige allows herself to be convinced that acting aloof is the only way to snare the prospective beau. This ill-fated scheme is just one of many incidents that lead Paige to the novel's not-so-astonishing conclusion: ``Sometimes you just can't tell what people are like on the inside by the way they seem on the outside.'' Readers who heed the siren call of the fashion world are not likely to be put off by the one-note characters and curiously bland setting. While skirting many of the grittier issues of the modeling world, the story supplies enough authentic details to enthrall its intended audience. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)#