Prom Anonymous

Publishers Weekly

"Pre-prom dilemmas have never been so amusing as in this lively novel featuring three main characters with contrasting personalities," according to PW. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

How can you be anonymous at prom? Unless you are a ghost, it would be pretty difficult. Laura, Jace, and Chloe have been friends for a long time. When they got to high school, they grew apart. Laura, the ultimate planner, decides that it would be fun to all go to prom together. Little does she realize it may be a more difficult plan than she imagined. First there is Jace, who wants to go to prom with the new guy--Paul. Paul is shy and on the tennis team. Unfortunately, two problems arise. First, Jace just can't seem to get the courage to ask Paul out, and second, Paul gets sick if he's around too many people. Do they hook up for prom? You will have to read it to see. Then there is Chloe. She's a bit of a geek without a date and does not even want to go to prom. After some mild coaxing, she jumps on board (much to her friends and family's delightful surprise). Chole suggests that Jace and Laura find her a date. Meanwhile, Laura does not seem to have time to take care of herself and her long-term relationship. Is her boyfriend seeing someone else? After all this work, Laura's idea might just be an idea. This book deals with mature issues like drinking, sex, and relationships. 2006, Viking/Penguin, Ages 15 to Adult.
—Kelly Grebinoski

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-Laura, Jace, and Chloe were best friends growing up, but once high school hit, they grew apart and found new (very different) friends. Now they're juniors, and Laura has decided that nothing would be better than to go to the prom with her two oldest friends. A flurry of planning ensues. Freaky Chloe doesn't have a date or a dress, and isn't sure she wants either-after all, the only thing freakier than Chloe is Chloe in a dress with a blind date. Laura is determined to find her an "appropriate" date. Jace the jock wants to go with the cute new tennis star, but has a difficult time asking him. And Laura is so caught up in planning the perfect evening that she ignores the fact that her relationship with her boyfriend, with whom she "had had sex over a hundred times" in their 14 months together, is falling apart. Of course, all works out in the end. This is a fun read with decently drawn characters, some serious issues, a fair amount of teenage drinking, and a satisfying ending. Most high school girls will be able to identify with at least one of the main characters. A good addition where chick-lit is popular.-Morgan Johnson-Doyle, Sierra High School, Colorado Springs, CO Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A work that at first seems as vapid as its title deepens as the personalities of its main characters and their friends emerge. Three high-school girls seek dates for the prom. Laura feels secure in her sexually active relationship with her longtime boyfriend, but athletic Jace has a crush on Paul, a shy tennis star, and Chloe immerses herself in her quirky, artistic life with her deliberately outcast friends. Laura tackles the challenge of finding Chloe a date, while Jace struggles to befriend the secretive Paul. A choppy writing style with deliberately short, declarative sentences mars the first third of the narrative, making it more rather than less difficult to read, but Nelson allows a more natural style to flow as the prom commences. Yes, it's a who-will-date-whom story, but with laughter and surprising depth. The target audience of young girls should find it plenty of fun. (Fiction. YA)