The Queen of Cool (review)

It-Girl Libby Brin has everything a teen could want: money, cool friends, a hot boy toy, and laid-back parents. This sounds like a recipe for another Gossip Girl or A-Listnovel, but rather than portraying easy stereotypes, Castellucci offers a refreshingly nuanced and credible look at what lies behind the façade of cool. Though Libby's life looks ideal from the outside, she is bored by the partying and slacking that have defined high school so far, and she finds herself signing up for a decidedly uncool science internship at the zoo. Even though Libby self-admittedly "just can't do dork," she slowly warms up to Tina (cruelly nicknamed "Tiny"), a dwarf girl with a magnetic personality, and Sheldon, a quietly brilliant science nerd. The book captures teen self-absorption and play at different identities and roles remarkably well, depicting Libby as both charismatic and selfish as she drifts between groups; while she befriends Tina and Sheldon when it is convenient, she is still reluctant to stand up for them over her cool friends. Through her new experiences and a subplot in which she observes her father's contentment as he quits a prestigious job to pursue a lifelong dream, Libby is able to grow into a happier (and more pleasant) person. Just as she did in the geek-chic Boy Proof (BCCB 2/05), Castellucci here creates sharp, witty, and completely believable characters, showing how teens can be simultaneously lovable and infuriating by skillfully nailing their insecurities and conflicting emotions. Ultimately she illustrates that coolness is relative, and that following one's heart is a more effective definition of success than social status—a lesson that many teens (and adults, for that matter) would be lucky to learn.