Pulling Princes

Publishers Weekly

Calypso Kelly, 14, stars in this frothy and fast-paced boarding school novel in which the genre's stalwart traditions (food fights, cuddling the beloved rabbits of others in the pet shed, pooling "tuck" for midnight feasts) are glamourized and brought up to date with all mod cons (text messaging on teensy cell phones, Jimmy Choo slingbacks, vodka stashed in empty Body Shop bottles). Back at her posh English boarding school for summer term, American-born Calypso is "sick of being the class freak" and intent on becoming part of "the cool set" ruled by The Honourable Georgina Castle Orpington (whom she has just been assigned as a roommate) and Georgina's best pal, the ultra-nasty Honey O'Hare. Calypso's popularity plan seems to be working, until she makes an enemy of Honey by attracting the interest of Prince Freddie (second in line to the British throne and a student at a nearby boys' boarding school) by besting him in a fencing match. Paparazzi madness ensues, Georgina reveals unexpected dimensions, a satirical literary journal is founded-and Calypso finds herself having the best term ever. Refreshingly, as Calypso's social status improves, she never abandons her long-time friend Star, a Kelly Osborne ringer. Instead, both girls get swept nearly effortlessly into the elevated social whirl. Not far behind the giddy, ultra-glitzy fun lurks a generous spirit. Bring on the sequel. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

From The Critics

O'Connell has created a tale that appeals to many adolescent girls. Calypso, the main character, attends an elite boarding school in England while her parents live in Hollywood. As an American attending the school, Calypso has a difficult time fitting in. When Calypso returns for another year of schooling, she finds out she is rooming with Star, her best friend, and Georgina, one of the popular girls who berates Calypso on a regular basis. In a fencing match against Eades, the male counterpart to the girls' school, Calypso is up against Prince Freddie, next in line to the throne of England. After the match Freddie and Calypso talk, and Freddie becomes romantically interested in Calypso. As Freddie and Calypso's relationship progresses, Calypso's life at school becomes increasingly more difficult. Girls of all ages can relate to Calypso as she ventures out of the sheltered world she has created for herself and begins her first real relationship, deals with the difficulties involved in remaining true to herself, and recognizes the complexity of relationships and the strains relationships can create. 2004, Bloomsbury, 221 pp., Ages young adult.
—Elle Wolterbeek

Children's Literature

Pulling guys (English slang for making out) is the totally in thing to do at St. Augustine's, the posh all-girls English boarding school and fourteen-year-old Calypso is determined to have her share. She ends up rooming with Star, her best friend who is also an outcast, and Georgina, the posh of the posh. Although shunned in the past and teased about her American accent, this year is going to be different. Above her bed she hangs photos of her mother's hot looking personal assistant to pretend he is her boyfriend. That catches Georgina's eye and Calypso goes up a notch on the social ladder. Calypso does not need to worry—she pulls the crown jewel—the prince, Britain's heir to the throne. Both Star and Calypso fence and matches are often against male boarding schools. Calypso and the prince go against each other. The girls at the school share booze, smoke cigarettes and talk about boys. They get into a food fight and their punishment is to raise 6000 pounds for a charity. Calypso suggests starting a school magazine that is a huge success. If you can believe a prince would fall for someone who beat him in a fencing match, that Georgina and Calypso become best friends, and that a school magazine can earn that much money, you will enjoy the angst, pranks and escapades of these teenagers. 2004, Bloomsbury Children's Books, Ages 12 to 16.
—Janet L. Rose

KLIATT

This is a first YA novel by an experienced British author best known for adult comedy novels. O'Connell once attended a Catholic boarding school in England, as do her own three children, and so she is comfortable describing the life Calypso leads at just such a school. Calypso is actually an American, sent to St. Augustine's by her California parents; as the story begins she still feels like a misfit, even after several years at the place. Now 14 years old, she has a new roommate and her life changes. She and her one true friend, Star (daughter of a rock star), are sharing a room with The Honorable Georgina Castle Orpington, and she and Star finally are learning what it is like to connect with the British aristocracy, for better and for worse. Calypso also meets Freddie, a royal prince, in a fencing lesson with the nearby boys' school. They strike up a flirtation that escalates into an incident that gets into all the British tabloids. But this doesn't give you any idea of just how outrageously funny this story is: O'Connell writes just about everything for laughs. She satirizes the rich girls and their obsessions. She is kind toward the nuns who run the school, who truly are intelligent, tolerant, and loving in their dealings with their wacky students. The girls hide vodka in their Body Shop bottles, they smoke and then spray Febreze around to cover the smell, they swear and plot against one another; they use their intelligence and creativity in madcap ways, and they actually do know how to be loyal friends. This book (could it be first of a series?) fits right in with other funny British teenage stories, but I think it has carved out its own niche in a posh boarding school setting.KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Bloomsbury, 224p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Claire Rosser

School Library Journal

Gr 8-11-California girl, Calypso Kelly, is the only one in her upscale British boarding school who is Pulling Princes (Bloomsbury, 2004). Pulling is slang for kissing, and Calypso has attracted the attention of Prince Freddie after they both competed in a fencing match. This is a real change of social status for Calypso whose only friend at St. Augustine's had been spunky Star, daughter of an English rock musician. The American girl has been making new friends since she began rooming with former nemesis Georgina, but snobby Honey still has it in for Calypso. Working with Star and several new friends to create a school magazine and raising money for charity also helps Calypso feel like she belongs at the posh school. Though an unexpected photo in the British tabloids upsets Calypso briefly, a visit from her parents and the chance to talk to the alienated Prince Freddie help end the school term on a hopeful note. Author Tyne O'Connell reads her breezy, humorous text with the right amount of teen emotion. The rabbit in the cover art relates to the story but may not draw an adolescent audience. There's an extensive glossary of English slang and fencing terms at the end of the recording. While the vocabulary may be new to listeners, the petty jealousies, insecurities, and occasional four-letter words in the conversations of these high school girls will be universally recognizable. This first title in the series will be an additional, but welcome purchase for high school and public libraries.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Calypso is the adorably funny "Queen of Doomsday Prophecies," a classic teenage-drama-queen underdog in this endearing and energetic expose of English boarding-school life, the first in a witty YA series by Brit chick-lit goddess O'Connell. Fitting in seems an impossible dream for the charmingly out-of-step wallflower, no matter how she tries to mask her American accent, bond with other misfits, appease her snobby roommate, and avoid mean Honey O'Hare and her rich it-girl clique. But Calypso is determined to reinvent herself by winning peer-approval the best way she knows how: nabbing an enviable older boyfriend. Or at least by pretending that her Hollywood mom's gay personal assistant is her dashing suitor. Hilarity ensues, with Calypso's "Operation Cool" getting her into hot water. When an actual prince enters the picture, the stakes are raised, and jealousy rears its ugly head. Scenarios-particularly the fencing scenes-are inventive, fresh, and fun. In particular, the relatable teen voice here is sharp, honest, and seriously entertaining, making this an enjoyable read, and crowning O'Connell the latest British teen queen. (Fiction. YA)