VOYA
This novel finds the Gossip Girl cast of characters in their final week of school, preparing to graduate by shopping for distinctive designer clothing to wear to the ceremony. The use of brand names as adjectives appears more prevalent than in previous novels in the series, and the fantasy world of wealth, beauty, and absent parents has been expanded to include a British lord and a fleet of European cars destined to be graduation gifts. There are only outrageous plot lines, such as one character's theft of his coach's Viagra, putting his graduation in jeopardy. The book is predictably light; like a senior at the end of the school year, it is aimless. Faithful readers should question how much longer the series can continue. VOYA CODES: 1Q 3P J S (Hard to understand how it got published; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Little Brown, 220p., Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18. —Jenny Ingram