Paula Abdul : Straight Up

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-- Many celebrity biographies for young people are full of press agent puffery: an adulatory recounting of the subject's successes. This one is no different. But Ford, despite his admiring tone, does manage to suggest that the currently popular entertainer is one shrewd individual. As a teenager she was clear-sighted enough to reject a dance scholarship from Juilliard, knowing her shortness would be a permanent handicap in the world of professional dance for which that school would prepare her. She enrolled instead in college and trained for an alternative career, while practicing dance independently. She later became Janet Jackson's dance coach and choreographer. When she decided to pursue a solo performing career, she hired a vocal coach. Readers won't find much mention of the underside of show business here, but Abdul's fans will enjoy the numerous attractive photographs and realize the persistence, self-appraisal, and savvy needed for stardom. --James Witham, Lexington Public Library, KY