So, last weekend I went down to Washington, DC for the National Book Festival, (which was awesome. I saw Suzanne Collins, who was awesome) but I needed something to keep me occupied on the drive down, so I picked up Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson on MP3-CD, which I have to say, I wasn't all that excited about. I was sort of desperate for something to listen to, and this book isn't my usual style. It's the story of Scarlett Martin who lives in her family's hotel, the Hopewell, in New York City. It's summer, her friends are gone, and she's turning fifteen. Her birthday present is the care of a suite at the Hopewell, and along with the suite comes a guest-- Mrs. Amberson, who turns Scarlett's summer on its head. There's also a hot actor named Eric, a production of Hamlet, some tuna fish, and a lot of trickery.
I was really pleasantly surprised by Suite Scarlett. It was a lot of fun to listen to, and I was so into it that I had to pick up the paper copy when I got home so that I could finish it. I was worried that the plot was going to be predictable. I thought that I had it figured out about half way through, and I considered stopping the CD, but I'm glad that I didn't because I was completely wrong about what I thought was going to happen. The plot was fun and well thought out, even if it was a little repetitive. Scarlett is a pretty cool character. She is a smart and independent girl, which I think is really important in teen lit. She also has a cool older brother, and their relationship was my favorite.
I would recommend Suite Scarlett to anyone who has ever wished they lived in a hotel in New York. Also, if you've already read the book, or you're planning to, or you're going to now, here's a link to a Twitter discussion the blog readergirlz had with Maureen Johnson specifically about Suite Scarlett. Most of it is along the column on the right.
1 comment:
I am posting a link to this for my students at Mechanicsburg Middle School!
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