Cabot, Meg (2005). Ready or Not. NY: Harper Collins. ISBN: 006072451. 238 pages.
In this follow up to Cabot's 2002 All American Girl, we again meet Samantha Madison, who, one year after accidentally saving the President from assassination, is still involved with his son, David. In this installment, Sam contemplates David's invitation to spend Thanksgiving with his family at Camp David, an overnight trip she's sure will lead to their first REALLY intimate encounter. Meanwhile, Sam, in her role as teen ambassador to the United Nations, is called upon to support the President's Return to Family plan which, she discovers, includes the proposal to instate parental notification laws to be activated when teens attempt to purchase birth control. Though pretty breezy and somewhat superficial, Cabot does introduce us to the ambivilance Sam must feel when confronted with anti-presidential opinions (some of which come from a friend and co-worker); Sam's decision to finally have sex with David (and the predictable "fade out" when the time comes) is unfortunately similarly handled. Meg Cabot fans ("The Princess Diaries", et. al.) will like this admittedly funny and fast read and so will lots of younger teen girls. Lots of opportunities for read-alouds with this book. Between chapters, "Sam" pens "top-ten" lists that give us insight to her character and situation and are also somewhat witty. Examples: Top Ten Ways Sam Sucks as a Girlfriend, Top Ten Things that Suck About Being the Sister of the Most Popular Girl in School. |
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