The Vinyl Princess (review)

Allie has a single-minded devotion to records on vinyl. Schooled by her father since she was in diapers, she's now sixteen, and one of the most knowledgeable employees of Bob & Bob Records on the famous Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. She decides to start a blog and a zine, hoping to convert others to her vinyl obsession. Meanwhile, she's majorly crushing on a mysterious new boy hanging around Telegraph and trying to fend off the attentions of a sketchy guy from New York who may be as obsessed with vinyl as she is, while her parents and her friend Kit have romantic troubles of their own. As much a homage to place as the story of one summer in a teen girl's life, this narrative captures the community feel of locals in a college town, watching their avenue of indie shops go through the ups and downs of retail. The record store is hardest hit, of course, taken down by the savage combo of easy downloading, big-box retailers, and a bad economy. But life goes on, and it needs a soundtrack, which Allie is happily capable of providing through her choice of playlists and her blog reflections on some of the greatest works ever pressed into vinyl. A silent but interesting subtext sidles in as the internet giveth and taketh away: the brick-and-mortar record store can't compete with the downloaders, but eBay and blogging keep the collectors connected to each other and their albums. Give this to fans of Audrey, Wait! (BCCB 4/08).