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Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Teen Fiction Book Hardback | 120791002285083 | T BEN | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Can she be a supermodel and a super-sister? She finds her answer in just one look.Two sisters, both beautiful in different ways: Fifteen-year-old Ted has got "The Look." That's what the scout for the modeling agency tells her, and she can't believe her luck. But just as Ted's jet-setting off on her new career, Ava is diagnosed with cancer. Can Ted be a supermodel and a super-sister? Or will she have to choose between family and fame? With their worlds turned upside down, the girls have to look past appearances, look deep inside, to figure out what really matters.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bennett follows Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings with another novel set at the center of London's fashion world. Sisters Ava, 17, and Ted, 15, are opposites: Ava is a confident Elizabeth Taylor lookalike, while lanky, introspective Ted feels uncertain in her own skin. Their lives change drastically when Ava begins brutal treatments for lymphoma and Ted is recruited by a scout for Model City. With Ava's fervent encouragement-and in hopes of making back some of the money the family lost when the girls' father became unemployed-Ted reluctantly becomes a model. When she shaves her head to support Ava, it's viewed as a fashion statement, and her career skyrockets. Bennett insightfully conveys Ted's ambivalence about modeling, while creating an honest portrayal of the business. Ava's story line, as she becomes distant from her boyfriend and endures chemotherapy, is less substantive, but the novel's core is in the solid bond between the siblings and the ways each girl takes a piece of the other with her as she navigates new and frightening territory. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
"It feels as though the world has turned upside down. I'm not sure I'm ready for this." Fifteen-year-old Londoner Ted (short for Edwina) is tall, awkward, and clueless about clothes but has nevertheless been scouted by a top modeling agency. Meanwhile, her gorgeous and vivacious older sister, Ava, is diagnosed with lymphoma. While Ava is undergoing chemo and radiation, Ted acquires an America's Next Top Model vocabulary: "go-see," "campaign," "vamping" ("Is it something to do with vampires? Am I supposed to look bloodthirsty?"). But when Ted's career suddenly takes off, she realizes that success means giving up her morals, her obligations to her family -- and the respect of a cute guy. Readers get an inside look at the modeling industry through Ted's earnest, naive eyes. But equally compelling is Bennett's sympathetic portrait of a family that's coping with a serious illness and getting through it with love and humor. After the sisters have their heads shaved (because Ava's hair is falling out), Ted thinks, "This is me. I am bold; I am scary; I am strong. I am a rebel and a warrior, like my brave and beautiful sister." It's gratifying to see Ted finally accept herself as she is, supermodel or no. rachel l. smith (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Part wish-fulfillment fantasy, part realistic drama, this UK import is a light read with serious undertones. Ted Trout has really got something, according to the scout who recruits her for Model City, a top modeling agency in London, but she still feels ugly, all gangly legs and impossible hair. Though she's reluctant, her sister Ava, recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, is so excited on her behalf that Ted can't say no. While Ted spends her summer on speculative photo shoots, Ava is in and out of the hospital for chemotherapy. Ted finally discovers her look and some confidence when she and Ava shave their heads together once Ava's hair starts falling out. Suddenly, Ted is landing major deals, but the more successful she is, the more she feels she's missing what's really important. While the story is focused on Ted's humble narrative, Bennett draws strong parallels between both sisters' experiences entering new, not entirely hospitable, worlds. Their care for each other forms the heart of this novel, though fashion-obsessed teens will relish the details of model life, too.--Hutley, Krista Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7-10-Ted, 15, is the younger of two sisters and, in her mind, the plainer one. On a walk with her sister Ava in London, a rep for a modeling agency spots Ted and encourages her to work for his firm. Ted is flabbergasted and can't understand why he chose her over Ava. She dismisses the offer for a variety of reasons, including her low self-esteem. Not long afterwards, Ava is diagnosed with cancer and the girls' world is turned upside down. As a way of living vicariously, Ava encourages Ted to try out for the job. Ted succeeds and is thrust into the spotlight. When word gets out at school that she's modeling, she becomes the butt of jokes and ridicule. When Ted is "discovered" by a New York agent and is promised the stature of supermodel and all that goes with it, she flies to New York for a shoot where her reservations about her new career come to a head and she's forced to make a decision. While modeling is the backdrop of the story, Bennett's novel is really a coming-of-age story. Ted and Ava as well as the minor characters are well drawn. The flawless performance by narrator Helen McAlpine allows listeners to get into the minds of Ted and Ava. This audiobook will resonate with teenage girls struggling with finding their place in the world.-Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Two sisters face vastly different futures--one as the world's next top supermodel, the other as a lymphoma patient. Ted (short for Edwina), 15, feels awkward and plain next to stylish Ava, 17, with her gorgeous looks and hot surfer boyfriend. Each resents having to share a bedroom in the cramped apartment the family now occupies, thanks to their father's job loss. Everyone's surprised when Ted, not Ava, draws attention from a modeling scout. The same night, Ava's swollen glands draw her parents' attention. Soon, Ted's enjoying a major makeover and tons of attention, including from the intriguing artist son of a London modeling maven, while Ava struggles with chemo-induced nausea and hair loss. Ted narrates with humorous insight, though her incredulity that others find her attractive quickly palls. Ava's a more harmful stereotype: Cancer transforms her from bitch-in-training to selfless angel, though her touching determination to remain in control--both liability and asset--is skillfully portrayed. So too are Ted's evolving feelings about their relative fortunes and her view of the high-fashion world. Marketing-driven high concepts can shape stories into lifeless, literary topiary, but this one's less gimmicky than advertised. However, readers should know this is Ted's story; Ava's cancer is seen through her eyes. A good bet for readers with a taste for glam fashion and boldface names. (Fiction. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.