Gossip Girl

Title: Gossip Girl

Author: Cecily von Ziegesar 

ISBN: 978-0316910330

Publisher:Poppy

Copyright: 2002
 Plot Summary: This book, the first in a series, tells the story of New York City socialite teenagers.The main characters in this book are Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen and Blair's boyfriend Nate. They have money, and always seem to have alcohol. Gossip Girl is someone hiding behind a pseudonym that posts all the latest gossip concerning the socialites onto her website. The girls and boys go to separate private schools and sex, clothes, money, and the opposite sex seem  to always be a topic of conversation.  The book switches between different interactions between the characters and what gossip girl is posting.

Critical Evaluation: This book is written in a way that the reader feels just how shallow they all are. There is not too much character development and the layout provides for a fast read. This book is well-written and the approach to it is different than many other young adult books which makes it hard to put down.

Reader's Annotation: Gossip Girl knows everything about Blair, Serena, Nate and their friends, but do they know anything about her?

Genre: Chick Lit, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

Author Information: Cecily Von Ziegesar's main body of work is the Gossip Girl series. There are fourteen books in the series and it is the basis for a television show. Gossip Girl's website is real and can be visited at www.gossipgirl.net

Book talks: Socialites, drugs, alcohol, gossip, sex, relationships, money

Reading Level/Interest Age: High School. 15-19
Challenge: Alcohol, drugs, sex. These are all used as plot devices to show just how the rich socialites with no rules behave in some cases it shows the effects of them. The socialites however would not be shown as shallow, and how bad their behavior is without these as tools.

Why was this book chosen?: This is a great book and a great way to start a series, it was hard to put down so I put it in this database.