Find Out Friday: Jennifer Solow + Giveaway!

1. Your debut, THE BOOSTER, was an adult novel. How hard was it to switch from writing for adults to writing for kids/teenagers?

I don’t really see writing for teenagers and writing for adults as much different. I think about the character and what’s true to that character’s experience and that’s what I write about. But I guess when I write for teens (young teens) I think a little bit more about the reader’s mom – maybe because I’m a mom. I’m pretty strict about media for my kids and keep a pretty tight rein on what I think is appropriate for their age group – so I want to write for teens in a way that a parent would find not just acceptable, but inspiring for their kids to read. So, I guess it’s some balance between being a truthful writer and a responsible mom.

2. Which of the Aristobrats are you most like? Did you put parts of yourself or people you know into your characters?

I’m most like Parker – naturally. She’s the protagonist, the “eyes” through whom the story is told; so she is me to some extent. She’s outwardly confident but has a lot of deep insecurities that may not seem evident on the surface. She can have a sense of loneliness, even surrounded by her closest friends. She’s also informed by my own experiences. For instance, one day I found myself staring at my Facebook status box thinking “What is my status, really? Who am I?” It doesn’t come as a surprise that Parker did that the very next day – on the pages of our manuscript. I think Parker and I are both complicated that way: confident yet insecure, together but frazzled, on top of things yet overwhelmed, excited but nervous. Like me, all my main characters are probably Gemini!

3. If you could befriend Parker, Plum, Ikea, and Kiki with any other characters (book or movie) who would it be and why?

I think of Parker, Plum, Ikea and Kiki as teen versions of the Sex and the City characters. So I’d probably send these four and those four out on a shopping spree in Manhattan. Maybe they could go to Serendipity and have frozen hot chocolates together before a quick stop at Dylan’s Candy Bar and then top it off at Henri Bendel’s.

4. What is one song you think best suits you and your life?

Okay – so I’m truly, honestly, way cooler than this, but this is what immediately comes to mind: Let’s Go Fly a Kite: Mary Poppins.

With tuppence for paper and strings
You can have your own set of wings
With your feet on the ground
You're a bird in a flight
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite

I think if there’s one thing I’ve always felt it’s that I am capable of doing anything (I even believe this in the midst of great failure). Anyone, I believe, is capable of anything. I think the song is hopeful – a little reality plus a little magic plus a little hard work and all things are possible.

5. What is one place in the world you would love to travel to?

I met my husband in the ashes of the World Trade Center on 9/11. One of the promises we made to each other was that we’d help each other do all the things we’d always dreamt of doing but never had the chance or the ability. For me, one of those things was travelling. I really wanted to go to Japan and stay in a traditional Ryokan in Kyoto, which I did last year. I also had a major South of France fantasy (thanks to A Year in Provence) and I was able to visit there earlier this year. Thailand. Antibes. Hong Kong. Paris. Yes! Yes! Yes! I think the thing I would love most of all to do now is to live somewhere for an extended period of time. A year in Paris would be divine – followed by a summer in Provence! Eeek! I’m getting shivers!

But right now, I’m tucked into my own bed, head on my favorite pillow, my son next to me fiddling with his new phone, my husband in the room next on a business call, the dishwasher whirring in the darkness downstairs – this is really my favorite place to travel to…wherever this happens to be.

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Thanks so much Jennifer!

Visit her website, http://www.jennifersolow.com/, for more info!

Also, read my review of The Aristobrats here!

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The Aristobrats Review

The Aristobrats by Jennifer Solow

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Release date: September 1, 2010

Source: Publisher

It’s all about the Attitude

Parker Bell knows the secret to beauty is pretty simple–wearing the right clothes isn’t as important as how you feel in them. Popularity is like that too. It’s all about attitude. You have to picture who you want to be and then just imagine that’s who you already are.

This year Parker and her three best friends have made their way to the top of the populadder at Wallingford Academy. And they’re ready to use their Aristobrat status to help spread positive vibes throughout the school. But when the girls are assigned to produce the seriously lame school webcast, their popularity plummets! Will this tragedy destroy the girls' status? Or their friendship? Or both?

Review:

The Aristobrats was an entertaining and original start to what I'm sure will be a very fun series.

In middle school I loved reading series like The Clique and Gossip Girl. They were my guilty pleasure reads that I could finish in a couple of hours. The Aristobrats was similar but it was much more positive and full of girl power. While Parker and her three besties are all about being popular and setting new trends, they also care about other people and just want to be kind and positive. Other students look up to Parker and the Aristobrats and the name isn't demeaning at all- it's a compliment.

The four main characters were Parker, Kiki, Ikea, and Plum. The novel mainly focused on Parker, so I didn't know much about the other three besides what Parker mentions. Of the four, Parker was my favorite. She saw people for more than they appeared and really cared about her friends. Her home life was rocky and throughout the novel she was worried that her mother was going to lose her job and they would have to move. Parker, Kiki, Plum, and Ikea are at the top of the "populadder" until they are assigned to produce their school's webcast. Suddenly another set of girls is stealing their thunder and the Aristobrats are having to spend more time on the webcast then checking out Facebook and Teen Vogue.

I think having to do the webcast was the best thing for the girls, they learned a lot about themselves and what popularity and status truly means. The only complaint I really had was that some of the lingo and abbreviations the girls used was completely unfamiliar to me and got a bit tiresome at some points. Although there was a glossary in the back that helped!

Although the plot of The Aristobrats is similar to other novels I've read, the positive vibes and true friendships shown throughout. The girls nickname for each other was "Lylas" (Love you like a sis). No matter what they stuck together and helped each other out.

The Aristobrats will appeal to 10-14 year old girls the most, but I think older readers will enjoy it as well. Filled with positive messages and great friendships, I can't wait to see where this series goes next. I'm hoping to hear more about Kiki, Parker, Ikea, and Plum!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars