Helpful Score: 1
When I read AIRHEAD, I remembered in full force the strength of Meg Cabot's writing. She is able to take even the most ludicrous or most overused scenarios and make them fun and interesting. AIRHEAD has Meg's usual charm and humor, though it is not really a standout novel of hers.
Emerson is a great protagonist, earnestly devoted to her video games without overdoing her âoutsider statusâ among her classmates. Nikki is a surprisingly deep and conflicted characterânot just your average bitchily perfect âqueen.â The plethora of supporting characters are just the slightest bit two-dimensional, but they all have distinct personalities, and all have their good and bad parts, which makes me content to look forward to what else they will do in the sequels.
The plot stalls for most of the book as Em slowly pieces together what happened to her. Indeed, the pace is so slow as to be very nearly infuriating. AIRHEAD seemed like a huge introduction for the rest of the series: nothing in terms of conflict and resolution occurs. It's difficult to appreciate this as a stand-alone novel. Luckily, the second book in the series, BEING NIKKI, is out already, and the third, RUNAWAY, is coming out in Spring 2010. I am admittedly still curious to find out what happens to Em inside Nikki's body, so I will probably continue reading the series to find out. After all, it's Meg Cabot, and her books are like candy: some are better than others, but you just can't stop eating any of them!
Emerson is a great protagonist, earnestly devoted to her video games without overdoing her âoutsider statusâ among her classmates. Nikki is a surprisingly deep and conflicted characterânot just your average bitchily perfect âqueen.â The plethora of supporting characters are just the slightest bit two-dimensional, but they all have distinct personalities, and all have their good and bad parts, which makes me content to look forward to what else they will do in the sequels.
The plot stalls for most of the book as Em slowly pieces together what happened to her. Indeed, the pace is so slow as to be very nearly infuriating. AIRHEAD seemed like a huge introduction for the rest of the series: nothing in terms of conflict and resolution occurs. It's difficult to appreciate this as a stand-alone novel. Luckily, the second book in the series, BEING NIKKI, is out already, and the third, RUNAWAY, is coming out in Spring 2010. I am admittedly still curious to find out what happens to Em inside Nikki's body, so I will probably continue reading the series to find out. After all, it's Meg Cabot, and her books are like candy: some are better than others, but you just can't stop eating any of them!
I picked up AIRHEAD because I've enjoyed Cabot's other series. The first 40 pages or so were slow going simply because I found it hard to suspend disbelief and accept the basic plot. It was close enough to reality that the implausability nagged at me in ways that far-out paranormal or scifi plots don't. Once you can push that disbelief aside, though, the book is charming. Em's adventures as her life changes dramatically are fun, if rather predictable, and the most of the characters have enough depth to be interesting. Those that don't are portrayed as very shallow and the skimpiness of their development reads like a deliberate effort to re-enforce that image. Bottom line, it is a fun, quick read. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
This is the first book in a series, and there looks to be a lot of set up for the next books. The story really feels like a beginning and I didn't feel as satisfied closing this book as I have with other Cabot stories. There seems to be more going on with this brain transfer than it would initially seem. There should be plenty of fodder there for an interesting series. I particularly like how Meg Cabot seems aware of the current celebrity news and fashion, and it's reflected in this story. I found myself wondering what real life teen idols Cabot had in mind while she created some of these characters.
Overall: Well, this is Meg Cabot, so the story is a light bit of fun. Cabot has a way of writing that's warm and entertaining and has the right voice for a young adult novel, but this one spends so much time setting up the premise for the series so I feel like I got just the beginning of a story. it made me feel unsatisfied, but maybe reading the next book will fix it.
My full review: http://janicu.livejournal.com/95928.html
Overall: Well, this is Meg Cabot, so the story is a light bit of fun. Cabot has a way of writing that's warm and entertaining and has the right voice for a young adult novel, but this one spends so much time setting up the premise for the series so I feel like I got just the beginning of a story. it made me feel unsatisfied, but maybe reading the next book will fix it.
My full review: http://janicu.livejournal.com/95928.html
Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com
I can't lie; this had to be the oddest book that I have read by one of my favorite authors!
Emerson Watts is a pretty typical nerdy girl at a good school. She has one best friend, who she is secretly in love with (It is a guy, by the way.) But she is only typical until she goes to a store opening with her sister and gets injured in a very freak accident.
When she wakes up after about a month of being unconscious, she feels like she is someone else.
And she actually is.
This is not a paranormal book. She gets a brain transplant.
At the end of the book I literally said, "Get me the next book! NOW!" The ending is a total cliffhanger!
The characters are smart, witty, and a little weird, as with typical Meg Cabot books. A fun read, even though the beginning is a little hard to understand, and can be difficult to get into. However, it is definitely worth reading the whole thing, because it is truly hilarious!
I can't lie; this had to be the oddest book that I have read by one of my favorite authors!
Emerson Watts is a pretty typical nerdy girl at a good school. She has one best friend, who she is secretly in love with (It is a guy, by the way.) But she is only typical until she goes to a store opening with her sister and gets injured in a very freak accident.
When she wakes up after about a month of being unconscious, she feels like she is someone else.
And she actually is.
This is not a paranormal book. She gets a brain transplant.
At the end of the book I literally said, "Get me the next book! NOW!" The ending is a total cliffhanger!
The characters are smart, witty, and a little weird, as with typical Meg Cabot books. A fun read, even though the beginning is a little hard to understand, and can be difficult to get into. However, it is definitely worth reading the whole thing, because it is truly hilarious!
In the beginning of this book i was unsure as to whether i was going to like it or not, and i must admit that while i found the whole "brain transplant" scenario a little far fetched and hard to grasp, i just went with it---reminding myself that the book is fiction so if the author wants the main character to have a brain transplant then why not?? So i just went with it and ended up liking the story... it was very cute and i think i will definity be reading the next book in the series "being nikki" as the ending really leaves you hanging and wanting to know what happens next!
I had the book book for a while but once I picked it up I couln't put it down.
