Tales From My Closet.

Moses, Jennifer Anne.  Tales From My Closet.  Scholastic Press  2014  298p    $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-51608-2  jr/sr      Conflict  VG

Oh, the drama of being a sophomore in high school, but without drugs, alcohol or sex.  Five girls have a love of fashion, each with a different sense of fashion style, from jeans/T-shirt outfits to vintage to haute couture.  The differences among the girls do not stop there, but are reflected in their families, ranging from poor to wealthy, academically driven to abusive.  Each girl struggles with family issues caused by mothers, fathers or siblings.  And each lacks self-confidence about something having to do with either body image or academic success.  Each chapter is written from the point of view of one girl; thus, getting to know all the girls takes a long time, as many chapters are more than ten pages in length.  As their family and school lives grow more troubled, a major fashion blog sets in motion the climactic scene that leads to the “frenemies” becoming true friends.  The novel is slightly predictable regarding the romantic crushes that develop and dissolve.  For This book will appeal to girls who love to read about fashion. It will be an eye opener for girls who think they know their parents.  Girls who are struggling through their sophomore year will see that words have meaning and that a perfect facade can hide many problems. This would be a good beach read.

Summary: Five sophomore girls have very different clothing styles and lives.  Can they ever be friends?  The drama of family relationships, romantic crushes and growing up surrounds each of the chapters written from a specific girl’s perspective. Grades 7-11.                       

Fashion-Fiction, Friendship-Fiction             --Lois McNicol