Famous for Thirty Seconds

Gr 5–8—Thirteen-year-old Brittany lived to appear in commercials. Her four best friends were the shirts she wore to auditions. She'd been the face of companies selling everything from diapers to fast food to candy bars and cameras. When she walked into an audition, other girls left. All that changed when her family moved to Hong Kong for a year. Now back in New York, she finds that her rival, Phoebe, is booking the top spots. What annoys her most is that Phoebe, who is enthusiastically friendly, used to be a forgetful mess. Brittany plans to ruin her by pretending to like her brother and dropping him. Liam shares her love of art and she takes an art class as part of her plan. She enjoys the class and falls for him, but is willing to let him go to further her career. After she realizes that art means more to her and that Phoebe is a natural, Brittany supports her rival. This change of heart comes much too quickly. In this first in a series about girls and commercial castings, the details of the business are more fascinating than its self-centered protagonist and her quick reversal of priorities.—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA