The Children’s Book Review | December 8, 2016
Alyson Noël’s Selfie With Five Days of Famous
Since most of FIVE DAYS OF FAMOUS takes place in the fictional town of Tinsel Hills (which is loosely based on LA), I decided to take this selfie in my backyard on a warm, late November day in Southern California. I thought the combination of oversized sunnies and the palm trees in the background would help project the mood of the book despite the fact that I’m no longer almost thirteen, like my protagonist, Nick Dashaway. Also, I can’t sing to save my life. Can’t even fake it. But other than that, it’s totally spot on. I assure you.
Nick’s story was really fun to write. I think most people, at one time or another, have looked at an A-list celebrity and wondered what it would feel like to be them, and Nick is no different. He’s tired of being an invisible nobody amongst his peers, he’s desperate to get the attention of his dream girl, and he’s convinced that the path to obtaining his dream is to claim his space in the spotlight. Writing Nick’s journey let me experience that fantasy too. And while I had a blast letting my imagination run wild, in the end, I don’t think I’m cut out for a life of fleeing from paparazzi. Though full time access to a limo and a personal chef are two things I could definitely get used to!
Alyson Noël’s Shelfie
The first time I walked into my house as a prospective buyer I saw these built in bookshelves and it was love at first sight. It’s a really large piece that takes up an entire wall of my office. And though I experimented with a bunch of fancy angles that involved standing on a ladder, I couldn’t quite fit it all in the picture. Still, you can see the bulk of it.
Someone once told me that they liked that my bookshelves seemed “real and not curated.” It made me laugh, because I knew that by real what they really meant was messy and sadly, it’s true.
Though you can’t really tell at first glance, there is a sort of order to the madness. Two of the far right columns are filled with US and foreign editions of my own books that are stacked 3 deep. There are shelves reserved for MG and YA titles, as well as shelves for Adult books. There’s a travel section, a political section, a mystery/thriller section, a spiritual section, a research section, a miscellaneous section, and scattered throughout are books that are placed in the entirely wrong section, which I plan to remedy at some point…someday…for sure.
As for what someone might learn about me from looking at my bookshelves…well, I guess they’ll see that I read really widely. Or maybe they’ll just think that I’m a book hoarder. Either way, they’d be right.
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Five Days Of Famous
Written by Alyson Noël
Publisher’s Synopsis: From New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël comes a fun, adventure-filled, contemporary novel that poses the question what would you do if your dream life became reality?
A dream is a wish your heart makes . . . when your life is in desperate need of a makeover. Nick Dashaway would know. Either he makes it big this year in seventh grade or he risks being a nobody forever.
Enter the Greentree Middle School Talent Show, hosted by teen sensation Josh Frost. The show might just be Nick’s ticket out of loserville. But popularity doesn’t come easy, and when Nick is forcibly ejected from the stage, he feels like he’s out of options. Desperate to avoid a permanent seat at the geek table and continued inattention from the love of his life, Nick chooses the only option he has left: he makes a wish.
Be careful what you wish for, the old saying goes—and Nick’s about to find out why.
Ages 10+ | Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers | December 13, 2016 | ISBN-13: 978-0553537963
Available Here:
About Alyson Noël
Alyson Noël is the author of various New York Times and USA Todaynumber one bestsellers. Her books have been awarded the National Reader’s Choice Award, among other prizes. She has written several young adult novels, including Evermore and Blue Moon, parts one and two of the hit series The Immortals. She lives in California.
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Discover more books like “Five Days of Famous,” by Alyson Noël, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Astronaut Books, Books About Spacefligh, Human Body Books, Science, and Space; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.
