And Here I Thought Caitlin Was a SMART Girl

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	• Diva Alex Flinn HarperTeen, 2007 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Excellent

Don't be fooled by this corny or superficial title. This book has depth and meaning. It deals with the very real struggle of a girl trying to lead her life the way she wants to after recovering from an abusive relationship with an ex boyfriend.

Another world

High school is so often a one-size fits all world. This book shows something very different, a world that isn't easy, but the rewards it offers are huge. Self-satisfaction, creative expression, and the hope of a new challenge, all in an alternative high school for the arts. I wish my daughter had a chance to go to a school like this. She would love the chance to be valued for her talents rather than told to conform.

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Caitlin is a diva indeed...

My fifteen year old daughter and I love to read YA books together and she did well with this pick. Caitlin used to be a fat girl who loved opera and didn't fit in. Now she fits in (barely, everyone at her school is 110 pounds max) but she's not sure she likes it. She slips off to Miami to try out for a performing arts school without telling anyone. When she's accepted the fun begins, like blackmailing her mother into letting her go and telling all her friends she's moving with her father, which would never happen. At her new school, things aren't a perfect fit either with the elusive, handsome Sean and his overbearing overweight girlfriend (is she really) and the outgoing artists doing conga in the lunchroom. The friend she does find changes hair color like clothes and has a pierced eyebrow, but Gigi also has a heart of gold. There are lots of twists with Caitlin and her mom and things to make you think about what it costs to go for your dreams...and what it costs not to. I'll have to go and get Caitlin's first book now too.

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And Here I Thought Caitlin Was a SMART Girl

First of all, my rating reflects the overall quality of the book. It was good and well-written, and it was a realistic portrayal of what teenagers face when growing up.

My only gripe is... the blog entries. The fact that Caitlin was a blogger didn't bother me, but I'm one myself, and the fact that she used '2' instead of 'to' and 'thx' instead of 'thanks' REALLY bothers me. Alex Flinn SAYS she talked to teenagers before writing this, but she must not have talked to a very wide variety of them, because there are many of us who would NEVER resort to this sort of laziness when writing. Honestly, how much longer does it take to type two characters instead of one, or six rather than three? And 'thx' looks to me like it should be an 'abbreviation' for 'thicks' rather than 'thanks'. Anyway, aside from the fact that these sorts of things are one of my pet peeves, it completely undermined the supposed intelligence of Caitlin's character for Ms. Flinn to use these 'words' when she was writing Caitlin's 'blog'. She didn't do this in BREATHING UNDERWATER when Nick kept a journal, and she shouldn't have done it for Caitlin either.

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Listening and Learning

I am compelled to read pretty much any and every fiction book about a hopeful singer, dancer, or actress. DIVA offers a realistic, contemporary look at one girl's performing arts school experience, intermingled with her personal life, her past, present, and future.

I thoroughly enjoyed DIVA. Not only is it a great companion piece to Alex Flinn's earlier story BREATHING UNDERWATER, but it can also be read as a stand-alone book.

DIVA is about following your heart, even if it leads you to something that others may not understand, and overcoming your fears. Caitlin's love and talent for opera is evident, as is her struggle to come to terms with the abuse she suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Though this is a book and not a live performance, her voice, as it is written on the page, rings true.

DIVA is also about relationships, not only romantic but also related (mother and daughter, in this case) and platonic, friendly and competitive. There are so many different ways to connect with and be connected to others. As Caitlin learns to use her voice both onstage and off, readers will applaud her.

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reviews: page 1, 2

or most people, the word "diva" means brilliant, talented, over-the-top, and glamorous. I, however, seemed to be trapped in the not-very-glamorous life of a cheerleader wannabe with serious ex-boyfriend issues and a permanent yo-yo diet. At least until the day I auditioned for Miami High School of the Arts?and got in! All I had to do was convince my mother, the cosmetics salesperson with epically bad taste in clothes and men, that going downtown to hang with the music geeks was a good idea. I had to blackmail her to be able to do it, but I'm here?a diva-in-training?and I'm not so sure I can cut it. Now what?

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