Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
the school:
The Winchester School of the Arts, nicknamed "The Laundromat" because it's where better schools send their "dirty laundry." Get kicked out of Exeter, Hotchkiss, or Choate? End up at Winchester.
the girl:
Carli, a gorgeous pigtailed Hollywood actress going undercover at Winchester to research her role.
the boy:
Fun (short for Fellini Udall Newport), an embittered senior and graffiti artist who was almost expelled—until his dad (and a lot of money) convinced the headmaster to let him work off his crime as Carli's assistant.
the problem:
Beautiful, talented senior Darcy Novak, one of the least screwed-up people at Winchester, has disappeared.
As Carli and Fun discover each other's hidden talents, there's a villain setting them up. Can they save Darcy—and themselves—or will they wash out?
Editorials
VOYA -
Up-and-coming actress Carli Gemz, an unassuming self-described "dork," enrolls undercover at the Winchester School of the Arts boarding school in Massachusetts to prepare for her role as Sheila Smith, the bad girl in the new television series Private Nights. The only person who knows her real identity is Fellini Udall Newport (or Fun), the son of the show's producer. Upon arrival, Carli discovers the ramshackle Winchester, populated by troublemakers and freaks, has the reputation for being the place where other schools send their "dirty laundry." When Carli learns that a student has gone missing, each of the already shady students seems like a suspect. She and Fun decide to investigate, and Carli finds Winchester much more exciting than she had anticipated. Reviewer: Amanda MacGregorChildren's Literature -
Carli has just been cast in a great role in an upcoming teen drama, and she is performing some in-depth research to get a feel for her character. As a part of this research she has matriculated to the Winchester School of Arts. This school, however, has a pretty bad reputation. Many consider it the worst boarding school on the East Coast. This is, in part, because it is the place where troubled students go when no one else will take them, but Carli will not be alone while she is at boarding school. Fun is a Senior at Winchester and is one of the few people who knows Carli's true identity, but before Carli's undercover work can begin, a young student named Darcy disappears from Winchester. It is up to Carli and Fun to discover what happened to her. This book firmly grasps the idea of teen angst and mystery. It delivers with both, and readers cannot help but like Fun and his sense of humor. This may not be a classroom book, but it would work as a good, quick read at home. Reviewer: Monserrat UrenaSchool Library Journal
Gr 8-10
Teen actress Carli Gemz is a self-proclaimed dork preparing for a role in Private Nights -a TV show about scandalous boarding school teens-by posing as Sheila Smith at Winchester School of the Arts, the "dirty laundry" of boarding schools. When model senior Darcy Novak goes missing, do-gooder Carli decides to find her. The teen's disappearance is the tip of the iceberg as far as Winchester scandals go. The school is falling apart and desperately needs money, so Headmaster Stanton tolerates abuse from a wealthy donor's son while accepting a "Faustian bargain" from Fellini "Fun" Udall Newport's father (Carli's boss) to keep the boy in school. The catch is that Fun must serve as Carli's assistant. Their prime suspect is Hilton James, aka Nails, Fun's best friend and dormmate, yet the cast of misfit suspects is endless: there's Carli's roommate Miranda, relocated to Winchester for sleeping with her gym teacher; Sarah, a snarky goth DJ/journalist extraordinaire; her sidekick Mary Fishman, an aspiring author who is always with her diary and pen in hands; and Kirk Bishop, Darcy's current boyfriend. Mostly told in alternating chapters between Fun and Carli, the plot does slow in the middle, which causes readers to question its plausibility; nevertheless, this is a fun read, and the clever voices and engaging dialogue are enough to pull most readers through to the end.-Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ