THE LIST

Author (last name first): Vivian, Siobhan Publisher,Date of Publication:Push / April 1, 2012

Grade Level/ or Age Level:

9th grade and Up/Ages 12 and up
Classification: 
Fiction 

The List is a book upon which I have mixed feelings. I love the plot but I am not quite sure if the final execution is worth the reading. The list covers in high school setting a notorious list of the pretty girl and ugly girl covering the four years of high school. The adults as usual are fairly clueless to what is happening, but the effect on the girls during high school who for unknown reasons wind up on this list can be a scorched earth. Some of the narration of the girls simply does not always hold interest, e.g. Lauren, the former home schooled teen who turns rebellious when she becomes a favored girl in a new setting. I think the problem area is that some of the stories need more meat in coverage and come across as something that has been chopped up to fit a short novel format. This does not mean a bad tale it just means from my point of view that it is an interesting ideal but not the world's greatest young adult novel. On a scale of 1-5,I'd rank it 3.5.

Reviewed By: Andrea Williams (Associate Univ. Librarian for Public Services/CML)