Starstruck

Gr 9 Up—The Golden Age of Hollywood-and its gritty underside-is captured with real flair in this novel. Going from being a Pasadena debutante to a Hollywood star is an eye-opening experience for Margaret Frobisher. When she arrives at Olympus Studios, everyone is wondering what happened to Diana Chesterfield, the missing star and Margaret's idol. There are plenty of other hopefuls for Margaret to meet, like Gabby Preston, the plump songstress who is desperate for success, and Amanda Farraday, the slinky bombshell with a secret she's desperate to keep hidden. Margaret soon finds herself falling for Dane Forrest, the dashing matinee idol of her dreams. She is renamed Margo Sterling and made over in Diana's image, but there's one way in which Margo can't take the star's place: in Dane's heart, on orders of the studio. Margo's lost in a world she doesn't fully understand, and it could get even more dangerous for her unless she learns the truth behind Diana's disappearance. Clearly a setup for a series, this novel evokes late-1930s Hollywood with panache. Characters are well drawn, representing common archetypes but with a twist. Bound to appeal to fans of Anna Godbersen and Judy Blundell.—Melissa Rabey, Frederick County Public Libraries, MD