Posts Tagged: elise allen

Populazzi Paperback Release and Author Guest Post

07 Aug, 2012 by in populazzi 4 comments

Fire and Ice is the stop today on the blog tour for

Populazzi
by Elise Allen
which came out TODAY in paperback
from Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547481535
Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.

Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

To celebrate we have an exclusive guest post from the author, Elise Allen…
First, a big thank you to Heather for having me here at Fire and Ice to celebrate the paperback release of my debut novel, Populazzi!

It’s been a year since the book was first released, and a question I often get from people who haven’t read it yet is, “So… what’s the book like?”
Well, if Populazzi were…
…a dessert, it would be fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies – light and crispy on the outside, rich and chewy on the inside.

…a dog, it would be a Jack Russell terrier – super-smart and playful.

…a gem, it would be a diamond – fun and sparkly, but sharp enough to cut glass.

…a drink, it would be champagne – the more you have, the more you laugh.

…a place, it would be Los Angeles – exciting, with something there for everyone.

…a piece of clothing, it would be the perfect little black dress – a little racy, but always in great taste.

…an amusement park ride, it would be the new Star Tours at Disneyland – you think you know what you’ll get, but it constantly surprises you.
Thanks again, Heather! And thanks to everyone out there who has read or is planning to read Populazzi!

About Elise Allen: POPULAZZI is Elise Allen’s first solo novel but she previously co-wrote the bestselling novel ELIXIR with author and actress Hilary Duff and is at work on the next book in the series with Hilary. She’s written for several television shows from Cosby to Muppets to Dinosaur Train, which garnered her two Daytime Emmy Awards. Elise Allen has among the most random television-writing resumes ever, with credits that run the gamut from Cosby to Dinosaur Train. She recently fulfilled one of her many life’s ambitions by writing for the Muppets. Another ambition, anytime-access to Disneyland’s Club 33, is for the moment still a pipe dream. Elise has a sick penchant for running marathons, and can’t seem to stop even though fifteen really should be enough already. She lives in L.A. with her husband, daughter, and insatiable food-hound of a dog, Riley.
For more, visit www.eliseallen.com or follow Elise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/EliseLAllen.

Populazzi Blog Tour

22 Aug, 2011 by in populazzi Leave a comment

Fire and Ice is the stop today on the blog tour for

Populazzi by Elise Allen
Hardcover, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 1st 2011
by Harcourt Children’s Books
ISBN 0547481535
3.5 stars

Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.

Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right.

What most of us wouldn’t give to have a chance to go back to High School and change some of the things we didn’t like, or even to pick a new crowd to hang out with? Unfortunately for the majority, the reputation we get early on sticks… and for Cara, an unfortunate day in elementary school marks her social status for life. The good news is that she meets her best friend Claudia, and the two become inseparable. That is, up until their junior year when Cara moves to a new school.

While Cara is thinking a fresh start, her best friend is thinking opportunity awaits for her BFF to climb the social ladder all the way to the top. Claudia is out to make Cara supreme Populazzi…and she is not about to give up with her plan until Cara sees it all the way through. Things aren’t looking too hot when upon arrival to school, Cara’s first two friends are part of the Happy Hopeless and Cubby Crew cliques. There’s Robert who knows his Star Wars backwards and forwards, even wearing a cape to school and Archer the theater geek who wants to get to know Cara via play ping pong. As the weeks go on Cara develops feelings for Archer. Could she have found a boy who respects her and makes her laugh or will she succumb to the pressure of Claudia’s plan to become penultimate popular?

You guessed it! She makes the same mistake many teens make in trying to figure out who they are. As Cara starts climbing her way to the top she discover there is power in popularity. She changes her self for others and as a result there are consequences.

Watching her slide into risky behaviors and become a chameleon based on which boy she was with was painful only because it is so common with the teenage crowd. Author Elise Allen uses humor to deal with bullying, bulimia and social pressure. Similar to the movie Mean Girls, Populazzi shows that so many of us think only of the immediate future instead of the long-term track our choices will take us down.

I loved loved the main male character Archer an the advice he gives to Cara about her parents, especially the step-father who “disowns ” her repeatedly. Archer is wise beyond his years and I wish we could have seen more of him. The characters were well fleshed out and multi-faceted, the writing very creative. I would, however, not recommend this book to younger teens as it has underage drug and repeated alcohol use as well as loads of detailed talk about sexuality.

Populazzi was a fun read with a good ending about being true to who you are. As well, it is an eye opener about what may be a reality in some popular crowds. Thanks so much to Harcourt Children’s books for the ARC and for choosing our site as a stop for the blog tour.

To learn more about the author visit EliseAllen.com which “is the personal and professional web presence of Elise Allen, writer of Young Adult and Childrens’ fiction, as well as television, features, and internet programming.”