Enchanting Review: Fat Hoochie Prom Queen

FAT HOOCHIE PROM QUEEN
NICO MEDINA
Contemporary Young Adult
Simon Pulse
ISBN# 978-1-4169-3603-9
290 pages
$8.99
Paperback- Available Now

Rating: 4 Enchantments

Margarita “Madge” Diaz is a chubby, fashionista, funny girl who loves her curves. Everyone likes her, except for her ex-best friend-student body president and queen bee-Bridget Benson. She’s a foxy Hispanic girl, who loves her gay best friend, and doesn’t let anyone step all over her.

One night, drunk at a party, Madge gets into a heated fight with Bridget. They both agree that whoever wins the Prom Queen title will do what the other says. If Bridget wins, Madge won’t be able to speak to her again but if Madge wins then Bridget will have to wear whatever Madge decides to a photo shoot for OK magazine.

It took me a while to get into this book but once I did, I immensely enjoyed it. Madge had a strong voice, and was funny as well. She felt real. All the characters had such strong voices that it felt as if they were right in front of you. The Spanish words mixed in really made Madge stand out more and made the story much interesting. The high school scene felt real: there was some crushes, cattiness, and the characters resembled real student which you might know. The book was fast, fun, and an easy read to take your mind off of things. Nico Medina is a great author and now, after reading Fat Hoochie Prom Queen, I feel like reading his other book.

Nico Medina is a graduate of the University of Florida and now resides in New York City. This is his second novel. His first book was titled The Straight Road to Kylie. To learn more about him, visit his website at www.nicomedina.com

Carolina
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
December 2008

Enchanting Review: Do The Math: Secrets, Lies and Algebra

DO THE MATH: SECRETS, LIES, AND ALGEBRA
WENDY LICHTMAN
Contemporary Young Adult
GreenWillow
ISBN# 978-0061229572
183 pages
$16.99
Hardcover- Available Now

Rating: 3 Enchantments

Tess is an 8th grader who uses math to help her solve her problems. She has to great best friends who she gets along with pretty good and she has a hard time talking to boys-especially cute boys. Like other pre-teens she thinks her parents are weird.

One day Richard came into the copy room to make copies of a stolen history test and Tess let him. Apparently he passed them out to some of the other students. That’s the least of Tess’ problems. Her mother’s friend just committed suicide and Tess is convinced that her husband killed her. So Tess does the only thing she can think of. She tells her best friends her suspicions and follows the suspect.

Do the Math was such a cute mystery book. Tess was a believable character and had an original way of looking at the world. She used math to help her solve ordinary problems. I had fun reading this book and it had an original concept. I haven’t read any books that incorporate math problems in the story. The beginning of the book was too slow and the investigation didn’t really start until about halfway through the book. Tess also dealt with normal pre-teen problems and well as the crime she believes happened. Overall this was a really good book for pre-teens but older people will still enjoy it.

Wendy Lichtman writes essays for Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, New York Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. She currently resides in Berkeley, California. You can visit her online at www.wendylichtman.com

Carolina
ENCHANTING REVIEWS
September 2008