Premiere (On the Runway)

Gr 7—10—Christian values seem to be the antithesis of high-fashion consumerism and reality-show combativeness, but Premiere mixes these worlds with believability and appeal. Paige turns a report about a theme park that her mom is producing into a style critique. A reality-show producer sees the teen and her sister and asks that they work together on a project called "On the Runway." She promises Erin that she can work with the camera crew but Erin suspects she's really there to keep her sister from getting into trouble. When Paige falls for Benjamin, the lead's boyfriend, sparks fly. Erin has her own conundrum. She's just getting over breaking up with Blake, but now he wants to get back together. Meanwhile, Paige nearly loses her job when she sneaks off with Benjamin. Her impulsiveness contrasts nicely with the slow rebuilding of her sister and Blake's relationship, which is steeped in their religious beliefs. Those beliefs can seem heavy-handed but it's also nice to see Erin live them rather than having them tacked on. This book is worth adding whether you have a demand for Christian novels or not. The fashion and reality-show fireworks are enough to keep even reluctant readers coming back for more.—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA