Allison Avery's six-word autobiography? "Sold my cell to the devil." It's quite simple, really: the ninth-grader has a vivid dream in which the devil agrees to make her gorgeous to seven people; in return, he gets to control her cell phone. When it starts emitting crazy ringtones and shutting off randomly, the dream certainly seems real. So when she's chosen as a semifinalist in a modeling competition and longtime crush Tyler Moss finally notices her, Allison refuses to think that these developments are anything but the devil's end of the bargain. If that weren't enough, there are family dramas and shifting best-friendships to deal with. The book is charged with emotion: the scenes between Allison and her parents, for example, are heartbreakingly tender. Allison is self-effacing and funny, privileged yet vulnerable. She and her friends are completely authentic, right down to their text messages ("I am ur BFF now"). Those who've read Lucky (the first book in the trilogy, told from little sister Phoebe's perspective) will enjoy Allison's side of the story-and eagerly look forward to getting to know oldest sister Quinn in the upcoming Brilliant . rachel l. smith

Horn Book

In Lucky (BCCB 6/08), readers followed middle-schooler Phoebe; now we're hearing the story of Phoebe's ninth-grade sister, Allison, who's tired of being the unremarkable, unbeautiful middle child in the family. To this end, she makes a literal deal with the devil , trading not her soul but her cell for people to see her as gorgeous. It looks like it's paying off, because when she bunks off school with new girl Roxie to try out for a magazine feature on the "new teen," she's selected as a finalist, and she also seems to garnering the attention of handsome Tyler. But does it really count if it's devil-prompted, and will it help her family face their current financial crisis? The devil element is actually superfluous to the story, which is a solid, realistic account of a girl's beginning to find her own identity. Vail does a particularly nice job on the slow reveal about Allison's old friend, Jade, who depends on Allison's insecurities for her own stability, but the other character dynamics are sharp and perceptive as well. That's especially true of the family situation wherein Allison isn't entirely wrong about where she's been slotted, but she's also underestimating her parent's love and support. The book also refreshingly avoids cliché by making Tyler a genuinely good guy and not just a misguided crush, and by making Allison's successful photo shoot something other than the glamorous butterfly emerging from the chrysalis (it's her haunted and tearful face they choose).  This doesn't quite obtain the sparkle of Lucky , but many readers will have been in Allison's underestimated shoes (without the devilish companion, of course), and they'll be pleased to see one of their own make her way into the spotlight. DS   

BCCB June 2009