Savvy Girl

Seventeen-year-old Chrissy Gibbons has landed her dream job—a summer internship at her favorite magazine, Savvy. Being an intern is hard work, but the job becomes a lot more fun when Chrissy is befriended by a glamorous fashion editor who takes her to all the best parties. As the summer winds down, though, Chrissy realizes that in the whirlwind of parties and boys, she’s been neglecting what could be her big break in the magazine business: an opportunity to compete against other interns to become Savvy’s first teen columnist.

     Chrissy struggles to come up with a winning subject for her column—and in the process, she discovers what is most important to her. 

A high school student gets her first bumpy ride in the fast lane when she becomes an intern at a magazine

Children's Literature

In Lynn Messina's young adult writing debut, young Chrissy Gibbons is excited to begin the most exciting summer of her life as she immerses herself in the New York magazine scene. With college just around the corner, Chrissy has earned an internship at Savvy Magazine, one of the hottest fashion magazines in New York City. During the first week of the internship, the editor-in-chief announces a competition for Savvy's first teen columnist. Throughout the summer, Chrissy seems to struggle to focus on her goals. She is invited to parties by Jessica Cordero, a former super-model and current fashion editor for Savvy; she has a crush on a college age intern who works across the hall; and she struggles to balance work with her best friend and other social demands. All of these cause Chrissy to procrastinate working on her column submission of the teen columnist contest until it is almost too late. Even though the plot is somewhat predictable, the book is a quick read and one that young adult readers would enjoy. Reviewer: Shelly Shaffer

LYNN MESSINA has written several novels for adults, including Fashionistas and Mim Warner's Lost Her Cool. Savvy Girl is her first young adult novel. She lives in New York City.