Being Sloane Jacobs (327 Pages)

This book by Lauren Morrill is the literary equivalent of a chick flick! Imagine two girls, both named Sloane Jacobs. One is the daughter of a prominent Senator, and lives a rather "comfortable" life in D.C. as she attempts to perfect her figure skating. Her middle name is Emily. Her mother is a rather "pushy" person who expects her children to behave in the socially "correct" way at all times. The other, whose middle name is Devon, comes from the opposite end of the social & financial scale. Sloane Devon lives in a trailer park, she is an aggressive hockey player, with a mother who is in an alcoholic rehab program. I mention both mothers because for both girls there is an undertone of an attempt to escape the family "problems." However, this is NOT a book about slamming mothers. It is a book about two girls and the pressures of athletics. Both are headed towards Montreal for a summer camp on ice, where they are to improve their skating experience.  They meet at a hotel where both are staying the night before checking in to camp. It is there that they decide to switch places. And so the book develops with alternating chapters from Sloane Emily and Sloan Devon.  At first I thought OMG, this going to be so predictable.  But after a while, I realized it wasn't. And furthermore,  I  think girls will really enjoy this book!