All-American Girl FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Meg Cabot, bestselling author of The Princess Diaries, shoots off literary fireworks in this capital romance about an artistic alterna-girl, whose world is rocked when she saves the life of the U.S. president and gets chummy with his son.
Samantha Madison is an average, cool Washington, D.C., teen: She loves Gwen Stefani (who doesn't?), can draw like nobody's business, and enjoys being opposite to her sister's annoying ultra-social personality. When she ditches art class one day, however, she doesn't expect to be jumping on the back of a wannabe presidential assassin. Soon, the young hero is receiving worldwide acclaim for her bravery, having dinner with her family at the White House, and is even being named teen ambassador to the UN. As if this weren't enough, she and David, the president's son, strike up a friendship that everyone wants the dirt on, which starts to give her romantic "frisson" feelings. Unfortunately, Sam thinks her sister's boyfriend, Jack, is the true love of her life, and she makes a few wrong turns that could screw up what she's developing with David. Will she ever stop following what she knows and start following what she sees?
With a lively story line that will leave you dreaming about dates with American "royalty," All-American Girl is a fast-paced heartwarmer that will quickly zoom to No. 1 on fans' top ten lists. Sam's realistic language and emotions make her a well-developed and likable character, and the relationship between her and David -- although totally coincidental -- has enough unexpected surprises to keep readers glued. A teenage romance with Secret Service agents and presidential motorcades, this modern-day fairy tale is star-spangled fun. Shana Taylor
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Top Ten Reasons Samantha Madison is in Deep Trouble
10. Her big sister is the most popular girl in school
9. Her little sister is a certified genius
8. She's in love with her big sister's boyfriend
7. She got caught selling celebrity portraits in school
6. And now she's being forced to take art classes
5. She's just saved the president of the United States from an assassination attempt
4. So the whole world thinks she is a hero
3. Even though Sam knows she is far, far from being a hero
2. And now she's been appointed teen ambassador to the UN And the number-one reason Sam's life is over? 1. The president's son just might be in love with her
About the Author
Meg Cabot is the author of the best-selling, critically acclaimed, immensely popular Princess Diaries novels, as well as All-American Girl, Haunted, and two Regency novels, Nicola and the Viscount and Victoria and the Rogue. Meg was born in Bloomington, Indiana, and her childhood was spent in pursuit of air conditioning, of which there was little at the time in southern Indiana. A primary source proved to be the Monroe County Public Library, where Meg whiled away many hours, reading the complete works of Jane Austen, Judy Blume, and Barbara Cartland.
Armed with a fine arts degree from Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City, intent upon pursuing a career in freelance illustration. Illustrating, however, soon got in the way of Meg's true love, writing, and so she abandoned it and got a job as the assistant manager of an undergraduate dormitory at New York University, writing on the weekends, andwhenever her boss wasn't looking.
Meg lives in New York City with her husband, Benjamin, a poet, financial market writer and fellow Hoosier, and their one-eyed cat, Henrietta.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In another teen-pleasing novel from the author of the Princess Diaries books, a feisty 15-year-old self-described "urban rebel" finds that her life suddenly changes when she foils an attempt to assassinate the president. "A convincing and diverting tale," PW said in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Caroline Haugen
Meg Cabot, well known for her Princess Diaries books, has also done well with this book. Samantha Madison has lived in Washington, D.C. her entire life, but she never really had any encounters with the presidential family. When Sam is forced to take drawing classes she finds herself accidentally saving the president from an assassination attempt. Suddenly, Sam, the middle child, finds herself at the center of everyone's attention. In addition to her new friendship with the president, Sam becomes close with his son. She begins to question her crush on a boy that she had always considered perfect. The story, while quite an adventure, seems just plausible enough that it could happen to your average teen standing on the corner. Cabot does a nice job capturing issues of a high schooler and their solutions. 2003, HarperTrophy/HarperCollins,
KLIATT - Paula Rohrlick
To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, September 2002: Sam doesn't think of herself as anything special. Sure, she has artistic talent, but compared with her beautiful, popular older sister and her brilliant younger sister, she self-pityingly describes herself as "a fifteen-year-old, left-handed, redheaded, boyfriendless, misunderstood, middle child reject, broke, standing in the rain after her drawing class because she couldn't take criticism." Then the president's motorcade draws up, and as the president emerges Sam notices that the man next to her on the curb is pulling out a gun. Acting instinctively, Sam throws herself on the would-be assassin, saving the president's life, breaking her wrist, and catapulting herself into instant celebrity; though she's more concerned with being grounded by her parents for skipping class. Sam meets the president and his family, and is appointed teen ambassador to the U.N.; and who knew the cute guy in her drawing class would turn out to be the president's son, David? This funny, breezy novel, very much in the style of Cabot's wildly popular Princess Diaries series, chronicles the ups and downs of this developing romance, as Sam recovers from her crush on her sister's knee-jerk radical boyfriend and comes to appreciate David. She also learns to use her new celebrity to take a stand on an issue of political and artistic integrity. As in the Princess Diaries books, there are up-to-date references to brand names that teens will recognize and humorous David Letterman-type lists that enliven Sam's first-person narrative. My 14-year-old daughter read this eagerly, though she commented that she preferred the Princess Diaries books and their castof characters. But fans of those will certainly want to read this entertaining romp. KLIATT Codes: JS; Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, HarperTrophy, 398p.,
School Library Journal
While waiting for her ride home from an after-school art class, Samantha Madison, a sophomore at John Adams Preparatory School in Washington, DC, inadvertently saves the President's life by jumping on the back of a would-be assassin. Suddenly, she is a celebrity, invited to the White House for dinner, named the teen ambassador to the U.N., and revered by her fellow classmates. Yet, even her new star status doesn't allow her to get what she really wants-a date with her sister's boyfriend, Jack. Hoping to make him jealous, she asks out the President's son. The plan backfires, but Samantha discovers who she really is in the process. Cabot uses vision as a metaphor for how a budding artist grows to "see" herself and others more clearly. The first-person narrative contains Samantha's top-10 lists between chapters, adding to the hilarious plot. The setting is used to interject a few historical facts about the White House and its former residents without intruding on the entertaining story. Readers will enjoy Samantha's interactions with the other delightful characters, especially her sisters. Cabot fully understands teens, their language, and their world. There are at least 10 reasons why libraries will want to own this book, but the most important one is that it simply will not stay on the shelves.-Linda L. Plevak, Saint Mary's Hall, San Antonio, TX Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series turns to a different head of state in a comedy about a privileged but disaffected adolescent girl whose life undergoes a radical transformation when she instinctively jumps on a gunman, foiling his plan to assassinate the president. Samantha Madison, who dyes all her clothing black to show her high-minded solidarity with the hungry, the homeless, and the art-programﾽdeprived, is anything but a heroic figure. The middle child in an overachieving Washington, D.C., family, Samantha is stuck between her pretty and popular older sister, Lucy, a cheerleader "whose primary concern . . . is not missing a single sale at Club Monaco" and her super-smart younger sister, Rebecca, who is so brilliant that sheﾽs "practically an idiot savant." Worse, Samantha is madly in love with Lucyﾽs boyfriend, Jack, an alienated, earring-wearing, aspiring artist who not so incidentally also happens to be a hunk. Written in the first person, Cabotﾽs strength is her heroineﾽs funny, authentic voice, though her utilization of trendy labels and extreme colloquial style may limit the materialﾽs longevity. After saving the presidentﾽs life, Samantha is suddenly catapulted from nobody to national hero in the world at large and from social outcast to social arbiter in the microcosm of her school. Ambivalence over her burgeoning celebrity and mushrooming popularity, coupled with high-level political conflicts involving her new duties as the US teen ambassador to the UN and a budding but bumpy relationship with the first son, keeps the plot rolling, all the way to its satisfying, distinctively American conclusion. Great fun.
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