THE PRINCESS OF POP
Cathy Hopkins
Simon Pulse
Fiction
ISBN: 0689870027
311 pages

The second book in the Truth or Dare series is even stronger than the first. Becca's story centers on an exciting American Idol type contest --- "Pop Princess" and "Pop Prince." Becca may have chickened out at the tryouts for her school play Grease, but this contest becomes more than a laugh for her and her friends as she starts to rise through the eliminations.

Does she really want this? Becca now has to endure image changes, stress, judges who seem out to get her and the added tension of her parents fighting at home as she keeps returning for higher and higher levels of the competition. Some other teens in the contest, like Jade, her boyfriend Mac's sister, seem confident and ready for stardom. Becca doesn't even know what she's doing but finds that she is up to the challenge when she needs to be, especially with the support of her friends.

But her friends don't always seem to fully grasp what she is going through, especially Mac. They don't understand that she needs to spend every minute getting ready for her big contest. As she moves past her obsession with the competition, Becca's path to find herself and straighten her priorities will endear her to readers, even if they have not been through the contest process themselves.

The roller coaster ride of the competition will keep readers turning the pages. Becca resolves to tough it out, and readers will be somewhat surprised but satisfied by the ending.

   --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

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