Girl About Town

Gr 8 Up—A journalist and a Hollywood insider bring readers a tale full of history, murder, romance, and drama. The story follows the lives of a rags-to-riches girl and a riches-to-rags boy after they both witness separate crimes and attempt to re-create their identities and find their true fortunes. Lulu Kelly is a former laundress-turned-glamorous movie star, and Freddie van der Waals is a reluctant tycoon-in-training-turned-hobo; both have ties to gangsters they'd rather not own up to, and each has secrets they can't reveal. Love blooms and murder abounds against the setting of 1930s Hollywood. The dialogue is stylized very specifically to the time, which will make it charming for some but perhaps a bit unapproachable for others. The novel will probably be well received by teens who are already interested in the glamour of Old Hollywood and the plight of the Great Depression, or perhaps as a fictional companion for someone doing research on that era.