24-Karat Kids

Meet Dr. Shelley Green, newly minted pediatrician. After graduating from medical school at the top of her class, Shelley is hired by Madison Pediatrics, the most exclusive practice on New York's Upper East Side. Hyper-parenting has reached epidemic proportions, and Madison Pediatrics is its over-privileged epicenter. Shelley, a superb doctor with a kid-friendly touch and a genius for diagnosis, quickly becomes the Upper East Side's latest must-have accessory, the darling of the fabulously-wealthy-with-kids crowd. Now this self-described "schlumpy girl from Jackson Heights" is slimming down, dressing up in Fendi and Prada, and weekending in the Hamptons, and Arthur—her adorable schoolteacher fiancé—is left baffled by the changes.

Enter Josh Potter, the blue-blooded hunk who never seems to have his check book around. What he does have is charm, connections, and enough sex appeal to set Shelley's head spinning. Before long, Shelley's plate is way too full: men, medicine, and meddling mothers. Can she handle it all without losing her soul—and her fiancé? Dr. Judy Goldstein and Sebastian Stuart have teamed up to deliver a delicious dose of fiction, brimming with acerbic wit, dead-on-satire, and, finally, poignancy and heart.

Meet Dr. Shelley Green - newly minted pediatrician. After graduating medical school at the top of her class, Shelley is hired by Madison Pediatrics, the Upper East Side's most exclusive practice. Suddenly this self-described 'schlumpy girl from Jackson Heights' is thrown into the world of the rich, famous, and very neurotic. Her life is about to change in a big way.

Hyper-parenting has reached epidemic proportions — and Madison Pediatrics is its over-privileged epicenter. Shelley, a superb doctor with a kid-friendly touch and a genius for diagnosis, quickly becomes the Upper East Side's latest must-have accessory, the darling of the fabulously-wealthy-with-kids crowd. Now she's slimming down, dressing up in Fendi and Prada, and weekending in the Hamptons. No wonder Arthur - her adorable schoolteacher fiancé - is baffled.

Enter Josh Potter - blueblood hunk who never seems to have his checkbook around. What he does have is charm, connections, and enough sex appeal to set Shelley's head spinning. Before long, Shelley's plate is way too full: men and medicine, elite nursery schools and rooftop swimming pools. Can she handle it all without losing her soul? Find out in this delicious dose of fiction that brims with acerbic wit, dead-on satire, and finally, poignancy and heart.

Publishers Weekly

When Dr. Shelley Green joins Madison Pediatrics, a medical practice catering to the rich, peculiar parents of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, this self-described "schlumpy girl from Jackson Heights" is unprepared for the self-centered eccentrics who parade through her office. First-time collaborators Goldstein and Stuart have created them all in this chick-out-of-water comedy: a six-year-old with strep devastated to miss her Bergdorf manicure, a show-biz mom who wants a nose job for her eight-month-old son, and ultrapampered busybody Amanda Walker, who takes Shelley under her gilded wing. In the name of developing the "persona" to fit in with the posh parents from her practice, Shelley dives into the world of designer stores, spends weekends in the Hamptons with Amanda and her upscale friends and considers a dalliance with rich, hunky Josh Potter-a man entirely unlike her schoolteacher fiance, Arthur. Of course, Shelley eventually has to decide what really matters to her, but before she does there are plenty of delicious laughs and devious betrayals among the Dior-and-diapers set. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Dr. Judy Goldstein is one of the leading pediatricians in Manhattan, and has appeared in New York magazine's "The Best Doctors in New York" in 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005. She was selected as one of the "Best Doctors in America" in 2005 and 2006. She has a thriving Upper East Side practice.

Sebastian Stuart's first novel was The Mentor. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.