Gossip Girl - Cecily von Ziegesar

Genres: Chick Lit
Recommended Ages: 15+

Hmmm, well what can I say about Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar? I decided to read it because I figured it had been awhile since I had read a novel for girls. The Gossip Girl series is fairly popular amongst the seventh and eighth graders at my school, so I figured I would see what all the hubbub was about. I was very surprised (and possibly disturbed) by what I read.

Blair Waldorf and her friends live a life most people can’t even begin to understand. They all attend exclusive private high schools in Manhattan. They come from the richest families in the world. They go to the coolest parties. Blair’s life seems perfect. She is in love with her boyfriend Nate and is about ready to take their relationship to the next level. Everything was going as planned until Blair’s former best friend Serena returns to the city after being kicked out of a boarding school. This stirs up a nasty little love triangle that really brings out the worst in some of the old circle of friends. The book’s ending leaves itself open for the nine sequels that have since been published.

Even though I didn’t like this book that much, I can definitely see why it is popular. The book was written in a fast moving style and each chapter ended with a bit of a cliff hanger that just kept me reading. I would recommend this book to older, high school aged girls looking for a little romance, a little backstabbing (these girls were really mean to each other – is this how girls really are?) and a quick read. There is a lot of mature activity going on in this book. Even though these kids are only seventeen they live the lives of twenty-somethings. They go bars (and never get carded?), drink a lot, smoke cigarettes, etc. Because of this I would not recommend this book to middle school aged girls.