Book Review: The Mosts by Melissa Senate

Title: The Mosts
Author: Melissa Senate
Publisher: Delacorte
Release Date: June 8, 2010
Rating: 3/5

Cover Impressions: The cover is cute.  it reminds me of the old school YA novels.  Simple, but effective.

The Gist: Maddie was invisible.  Not popular, but not ridiculed.  After spending a summer in Italy, she re-enters the school fashionable, confident and on the arm of one of the hottest guys in school.  Madeline is everything that Maddie wasn't and she is quickly adopted by the "Mosts" who gained their title from the list voted on by the students at the end of each year.  When her perfect boyfriend moves away Madeline wonders if he was the key to her success and if she can maintain her status as a Most without losing herself. 

Review: When I picked up this book, I was in the mood for a quick, fluffy read and that is exactly what I got.  In fact, I managed to read the whole thing in about 2 hours.  The writing was clean and more concerned with the plot than with flowery descriptions.  The book began a year after Maddie's transformation and I do wish that we were able to see some of her time being invisible and her efforts to re-invent herself in Italy.  The characters were fun, though I would have preferred that they be a little more developed.  I am very glad that Madeline's popularity techniques for the Nots were limited to outward appearance, confidence and not trying too hard and that they did not attempt to change the core values of the people she was helping.

This novel was a little tame when it came to the actions of the teenagers.  There was only the barest illusion to sex and underage drinking, and the actions of the Mosts were limited to some cruel comments and a few rumors.  I do believe that if real teenagers were feeling their social roles being threatened they would take more drastic actions (I'm sure you've seen Carrie).  However, in making this choice, the author did manage to keep the book appropriate for nearly any teenager.

The Mosts is a fun book that is recommended as a beach read or to take along on a car trip this summer.  Happy Reading!

Teaching/Parental Notes:

Age: 12 and up
Gender: Female
Sex: Spoken about but not described
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: Bitch
Substance Abuse: Allusion to underage drinking