The Allegra Biscotti Collection

Gr 5—8—This book manages to make the wildly implausible seem possible. When Emma, 14, becomes the hottest new fashion designer for the Voguelike Madison magazine, she does it through hard work and the help of an old hand. She's given herself the nom de plume "Allegra Biscotti" to cover up that she's the girl the editor met at her father's lace warehouse. Emma comes off as a believable teen. She likes a boy who seems unattainable and disregards Charlie, her supportive friend and accomplice in deception. Holly, her other BFF, has become part of an in-crowd Emma has no desire to join. But the luscious descriptions of the clothes Emma imagines are the best aspect of the book. Tiny sketches accompany most of them and add charm to the pages. Trying to come up with three alluring new designs, the protagonist lets her grades slide, gets in trouble with her parents, and ends up enlisting the aid of the capable Marjorie, an office administrator who was a professional seamstress. Emma, Marjorie, and Charlie are well rounded but other characters are vague, including the somewhat stereotyped editor and the snobby clique that attracts Holly. Still, kids interested in fashion are sure to become fans of the Allegra Biscotti collection.—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA