Hotlanta
Denene Millner, Mitzi Miller, . . Scholastic/Point, $8.99 (278pp) ISBN 978-0-545-00308-7
This series debut alternates between the perspectives of African-American twin sisters, the overachieving Sydney and (per Sydney's description) “superficial, self-centered, scandalous drama queen” Lauren. The trappings of clique lit are all here: the twins wear designer clothes, attend “the premier, predominantly African-American private institution of learning in the Atlanta area” and are glued to an anonymous blog tracking all the school's gossip. The plot deepens when Sydney starts secretly spending time with the twins' father, recently released from jail, and when Lauren starts dating a cute boy from a bad neighborhood; it gets even fuller—if harder to believe—when the sisters realize their rich stepfather may not actually be a car dealer (Lauren's boyfriend, Jermaine, tells them that “he been running things in the hood Godfather-style for years”). Beyond some outrageous plotting, Millner (
Reviewed on: 02/25/2008
Genre: Children's
Hardcover - 278 pages - 978-1-4352-9906-1