Title: The Black Sheep
Authors: Sandy Rideout and Yvonne Collins
Pages: 348
Hyperion, 2007
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Recommended to: Teen girls, 13 and up
Rating: A
Fifteen year old Kendra Bishop is sick of her dull, boring, orderly life. She's sick of all of her parent's stupid restrictions and rules (there's a whole binder full of them). She's sick of living in a cold marble tomb-of-a-house that's filled with busts of dead musicians. And, lastly, she's sick of being boring old Kendra, daughter of the runaholic bankers. She wants change: and that's why she writes to The Black Sheep, a reality TV show that offers a family swap with another teen. But then a camera crew (accompanied by the obnoxious ratings-obsessed producer Judy) arrives at her front door, and before she knows it, Kendra is leaving her privileged Manhattan life, friends, and her so-called family to live in Monterey, California with a laid-back family of loving hippies, their crazy kids, and their pets. Now Kendra's constantly in the spotlight, whether she's finding a newfound passion in rescuing otters, crushing on her host family's cute son, or being presented on a national talk show to speak about her family. Will Kendra survive? Or will the show completely ruin her life?
Fun, fun, fun! The Black Sheep was a thoroughly enjoyable, quick, lighthearted novel about stardom, the true meaning of family, discovering yourself, and growing up. I loved watching Kendra's transformation from just bland, mousy, sheltered little Kendra to passionate, daring, and loving Kendra. The whole novel was realistic, the dialogue was fabulous, and I absolutely loved the unique Mulligans, no matter how dysfunctional and tree-hugging they are. And Judy's character was absolutely a blast: her speech and actions were hilarious. My one problem was that I found the story to go on for too long. It just seemed to drag a bit, and by the end, it had seemed to repeat itself and its points over and over again. I also have to say: I like the black cover better than the paperback edition. It looks more professional, and the PB just gives it a kind of overly breezy, cheesy, and cliché look, something that I expected before delving into The Black Sheep and realizing it had depth. Which one do you prefer?
Well, consider this novel highly recommended. (:
7 comments:
Sounds very cute! I prefer the black cover by a lot. The cover is much cleaner, to be taken more seriously.
I like the black cover better.
Great review!!
-That Teen-
I agree, the black cover is way nicer. I probably wouldn't even read it if I was judging strictly on cover. (Bad experience with books like that, lol.)
I haven't heard of this book, until just now.
I want to read it now. It seems so good, plus the cover is eye getting.
I'm looking forward to reading this book sometime. I love the colorful cover! But the black one is great too.
I <3 this book soooooo much! It's my favorite book eva! U guys should all totally read it. I never knew about the black cover bcuz i read the colored cover not knowing that there was another one. I do agree that the black cover is alot better tho. The storyline is great and I DO NOT think that this book is too long. I didn't want it to end! I hope that yvonne and sandy write a sequel although i doubt it would happen sice its been 2 years since they wrote the first. o well. Great book! its a must read.
great book, read it for a reading project! im 13 years old it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughtout the whole book !!!!!!! i love it i would defiantly recomend it to anyone !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
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