Monday, January 21, 2013

Queen of Cool- Cecil Castellucci

Title: Queen of Cool
Author: Cecil Castellucci
Source: Gifted
Series: No
Rating: 4/5
 















On the outside, Libby Brin is the most popular girl in school. She has the coolest friends, the hottest boyfriend, the trendiest clothes, and the hippest parents. But on the inside, Libby is dying - of boredom. In a moment of desperation, Libby signs up for an internship at the L.A. Zoo, much to the dismay of her friends, who'd prefer she spend her time with them, shopping, partying, and making fun of everyone else. To Libby, the zoo gig seems like something, anything, different to do, even if it means she has to work with two nerds - Tina (aka "Tiny"), a little person and aspiring actress, and Sheldon, an introverted boy with a brilliant, inquiring mind. But what happens when Libby realizes she actually enjoys working at the zoo and may even like Tina and Sheldon? Will the QUEEN OF COOL be forced to give up her crown?

Libby is considered one of the most popular girls at her high school. On the outside her life looks perfect, she has popular friends, the right clothes, and parents that allow her to bend the rules. On the inside is completely bored and starts to realize how boring her friends really are. She notices a sign up sheet for an internship at the L.A. Zoo and decides to sign up. After she signs up she realizes that she will be stuck with two people she considers "nerds" one including Tina (Tiny) who goes to her school and Sheldon who is obsessed with finding out about other life forms. Libby finds herself starting to enjoy her time at the zoo and she starts to like spending time with Tiny and Sheldon but she is not sure if she is ready to lose her crown of cool.

The cover is completely cheesy but the story inside has a lot of hidden gems. I wish the cover would have reflected the book more, I found the cover put me off from reading for a long time. Libby was a smart, sarcastic character. She starts to notice how boring her life is becoming so she decides to change it and do something completely out of her comfort zone.  I really liked Tiny and Sheldon. They were really awkward but refused to mold themselves into what would make them more popular. I really enjoyed all the characters, even liked Perla who was a complete flake. I thought Kenji was a jerk but to my relief Libby does not seem to take him seriously, there is some romance between the characters but it does not take over the story.

The story is engaging. The characters blended well together and I liked how it ended. The book was not bogged down with romance like I first imagined it would be. I also like the internship about the zoo. I cannot think of any other YA books that include a zoo. I thought it was a quick, interesting read. I enjoyed it a lot more than I ever imagined I would. I devoured this book in one sitting.

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