The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James: A Reality TV Novel

Grade 7 Up–Jennifer James considers herself the Most Unpopular Person in her public high school–considered a bog standard, or substandard, institution by most of the residents of her British town. She wishes that her parents had the money and inclination to allow her to transfer to a more competitive academy. When her school is chosen to participate in a new reality TV program in which students will compete for entry into the prestigious St. Willibald's College–an elite preparatory–Jennifer is shocked when she is named one of the contestants. Written as a series of diary entries and interspersed with clippings from the local newspaper and a faux British gossip rag, Shields's first novel details the show's reality from the point of view of an unlikely participant. The narrative reads much like Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson titles (HarperCollins)–diary entries are labeled by date and time and some slang is marked with asterisks and explained in footnotes–but it takes a while to gather momentum. The plot is saved from predictability when Jennifer and her friends uncover a voting scam going on behind the scenes; some readers will have noted elements of foreshadowing prior to this revelation. This novel doesn't pack the same punch as Tucker Shaw's Confessions of a Backup Dancer (S & S, 2004) or the insight of Sarra Manning's Guitar Girl (Dutton, 2004). With a glut of similar books on the market, this one doesn't stand out.–Amy S. Pattee, Simmons College, Boston
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