Hollywood Is like High School with Money

May 4, 2009
Dean delivers another pop artifact in her latest riff on the Gossip Girl
generation, this time dressing up the goings-on with a very Devil Wears Prada
vibe. Landing a job as second assistant to Iris Whitaker, a Metronome Studios hotshot, sounds like a dream come true for Ohio native Taylor Henning, who naturally wants to make it big in Hollywood. But this fish out of water needs to learn quickly how to swim with the sharks, as Iris's first assistant, Kylie Arthur, would prefer she drowns. Thankfully, a fairy godmother appears in the fierce form of Quinn, Iris's 16-year-old daughter, who suggests Taylor follow her surefire high school rules: fake it till you make it; speak up in class; make one cool friend; and realize lunch is a battleground. But there are unforeseen consequences for Taylor, who remembers some age-old advice just in time. It's a slick little novel: catty, glitzy and just mean enough.

July 1, 2009
Taylor Henning moves to Los Angeles and promptly lands a job as a second assistant to movie exec Iris Whitaker at Metronome Studios. Although she is excited about her new position, she is also quicklydismayed by the cliquish mentality of her coworkers, especiallyIris snobby first assistant, Kylie. After Kylie gives her some bad advice that jeopardizes her job, Taylor turns to an unlikely source for help: Quinn, her boss 16-year-old daughter, who is the very definition of a Queen Bee. Armed with Quinns advice and a hand-me-down wardrobe from the teen, Taylor gets the courage to speak up at work, and her stylish new clothes get the attention of the other assistants. But as Taylor begins to ascend the Hollywood ladder and put together a movie of her own in hopes of getting a coveted promotion, she finds she might be adapting a little too well to the cutthroat movie bizand losing herself in the process. A fun and frothy summer read for anyone with an interest in the behind-the-scenes workings of Hollywood.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)