Teen Fiction - Girls & Young Women, Teen Fiction - Romance & Friendship

Scarlett Fever

Name: Scarlett Fever
Author: Maureen Johnson
ISBN: 9780439899284

by Maureen Johnson

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Overview

From top-selling author Maureen Johnson comes the second book in the trilogy about a girl and her hotel.

Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.

She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

Synopsis

Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same.

Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart.

In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

Praise for Suite Scarlett:

"Utterly winning, madcap Manhattan face, crafted with a winking, urbane narrative and tight, wry dialogue." - Booklist, starred review

"The authentic charm of the characters and the endearing sweetness of their odd familial relationships…make this light read worthwhile." - Kirkus Reviews

"Johnson keeps the laughs coming." - Horn Book

Children's Literature

15-year-old Scarlett Martin's life is full of chaos. Her family lives and runs a financially strapped hotel. She is pining over her former boyfriend, Eric, the handsome actor who starred in the hotel's summer production of Hamlet. Her persistent boss, Mrs. Amberson, has just become an agent, and Scarlett is practically her indentured servant. To add to the chaos, Scarlett's youngest sister is returning home from a summer camp for children with cancer. Her older sister, Lola, cannot decide if she wants to keep seeing her extremely wealthy boyfriend, and her brother, Spencer, has just landed a role on the popular TV drama series, Crime and Punishment. To make matters worse, Mrs. Amberson has asked Scarlett to keep her eye on Max, a new boy at her school, who also happens to be the brother of Mrs. Amberson's newest client, the teen Broadway sensation, Chelsea Biggs. There are many moments of sensational writing in this novel, and while the subplots are often overwhelming, the author manages to keep Scarlett mixed up in the action at all times. The ambiguous ending will either disappoint readers or make them begging for a sequel. Reviewer: Jody Little

About the Author, Maureen Johnson

Maureen Johnson is the author of Suite Scarlett (also available on audio from Brilliance Audio), The Key to the Golden Firebird, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, The Bermudez Triangle, Devilish, and Girl at Sea. She lives in New York City. You can visit her online at maureenjohnsonbooks.com.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Jody Little

VOYA - Amy Fiske

Scarlett and her loveably dysfunctional family are back in this sequel to Suite Scarlett (Point, 2008/VOYA August 2008). The staging of Hamlet is over, and the Hopewell Hotel retreats to its faded, threadbare elegance. Still reeling from her failed romance with Eric, Scarlett obsessively watches the video of his pizza commercial online. Her employer, Mrs. Amberson, has checked out of the Hopewell and enlisted Scarlett to assist with her fledgling talent agency. Scarlett's first assignment is to win over wannabe star Chelsea and her overbearing stage mother. Once school starts, she is also saddled with Chelsea's malcontent brother, Max, and hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, cancer survivor Marlene returns from summer camp with a new agenda, Spencer finds instant notoriety when he is hired to play a villain in a popular cop drama, and Lola reconciles with her wealthy ex-boyfriend. A hairless dog with an incontinence problem, a surly doorman, and flying doughnuts all play a role in this over-the-top, highly entertaining read. Although this is a follow-up to Suite Scarlett, it is not necessary to read the previous novel to enjoy Scarlett Fever. The plot careens like a runaway train at times, but it's great fun to be along for the ride. The strength of the novel is its fascinating characters; they are well drawn, complex, and believable. Family drama and issues about money and social class keep things real and ground the story. An abrupt ending leaves readers hanging, begging for more. Hopefully, Johnson will oblige us with a third book. Reviewer: Amy Fiske

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—After a whirlwind summer, Scarlett Martin is ready to go back to school in Maureen Johnson's sequel (2008) to Suite Scarlett (2010, both Scholastic). Starting her sophomore year is not all it's cracked up to be, though, as the teen faces difficult classes, a somewhat annoyingly attractive lab partner, a confusing ex-boyfriend, a not-just-limited-to-afterschool job, a suddenly infamous actor brother, two sisters acting totally unlike themselves, and parents in deep financial straits. Narrator Jeannie Stith gives each character a unique voice and easily maneuvers listeners through heartrending moments; forehead slapping, groan inducing situations; and laugh-out-loud scenes. Nothing seems to go right as Scarlett struggles to return her brother to New York's favor, to help both her sisters cope with their life decisions, to help her boss land and keep an important client, and to figure out what her heart is really telling her. Coupled with an engaging plot, Stith's reading will easily engage even reluctant listeners. For library collections already circulating Suite Scarlett.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT

Kirkus Reviews

The sequel measures well above its predecessor in this hilarious follow-up to Suite Scarlett (2008), which first introduced the eccentric, New York-dwelling Martin family. Picking up just a few weeks later, Scarlett is still convincingly nursing a broken heart and being run ragged by her employer, Mrs. Amberson, who has ambitions of becoming an agent. She helps the eldest Martin sibling, Spencer, land a role on a popular TV show and sets about courting another prospective client, whose disagreeable brother, Max, just happens to be starting at Scarlett's high school. While there is much that is predictable in this comedic romance, the characterizations are a dream. Older sister Lola is allowed to show her achingly real insecurities. Spencer and Mrs. Amberson's antics (and in addition, the lap dog acquired by the latter and described at one point as "my hairless little anxiety attack") are uproariously funny. Readers will have to read the first to understand this one, and the decidedly cliffhanger conclusion will ensure they are left in fevered anticipation of the next. (Comedy. 12 & up)