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. (:
Sounds very cute! I prefer the black cover by a lot. The cover is much cleaner, to be taken more seriously.
ReplyDeleteI like the black cover better.
ReplyDeleteGreat 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.)
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this book, until just now.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI <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.
ReplyDeletegreat 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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
ReplyDelete