Julie LinkerReseñas

The plot-rich spoiled girl hauled off to live with poor relatives in the middle of nowhere, isn't new, but this is a fresh and smart depiction of what happens in such a situation. West's mom died when she was very young and now that her father is in jail, facing embezzlement charges, she's about to be shipped off to the custody of an aunt she never knew in the great village of Possum Grape, Arkansas. Talk about culture shock. She has gone from parties to picking eggs and from glam nights to Sunday church services. Follow her as she slowly comes to the realization that her new reality isn't that bad, especially when it comes with a hot new boyfriend and a chance to act on her secret dream of fashion design.

Crowned is charming and frothily fun fiction for teenage and young adult girls. While the focus is on a beauty pageant contender, Presley is a well-rounded character with understandable and admirable goals. Presley knows she's not smart enough to get scholarships to college and that her single mom will never have enough money to send her, but she's good at pageants and they're her ticket to breaking the cycle of poverty. The action is full of drama, but there's some nice information on being aware of the dangers that the expanding online world holds in terms of publicity. Presley's archrival Megan is a perfect foil as a cruel and manipulative competitor who steals Presley's boyfriend in the opening pages of the book. That's just the beginning though - there's a compromising picture of Presley posted online, the hair dye in her shampoo, and Megan's self-shredded swimsuit to be blamed on Presley. Presley's final comeuppance of Megan through gaining the boyfriend Megan has always wanted and releasing an embarrasing video is extremely satisfying and could even lead to Presley (as runner-up) replacing Megan as Miss Teen State - leaving things open for a possible sequel. If you're looking for a light read to entertain you Crowned is a definite winner.

This book is realistic fiction. Presley Ashbury perfect pagent life is going great untill her arch enemy ( also a pagent contestant) Megan Leighton comes and start messing with her life. Megan steals her boyfriend, posts pictures of Presley, and even tries to frame her for recking a $600 bathing suit but Presley and Megan are fighting for one thing... To Be "Crowned" This book is 11 A.R points I would reccomend this to older kids like 8th or 9th grade because they can relate more to it 1. because Presley and Megan are both in their junior year in high school and 2. because Megan and Presley are both dealing with high school problems. This book was a good book but it is not my favorite. I rate it 3 stars
Briani :)

Crowned is a wonderful book that is about a girl that enters a beauty pagent and all this drama comes into play .

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Julie Linker's debut novel, DISENCHANTED PRINCESS, is sure to be a success. A combination of high fashion and down-home charm will make it a fun read for teen girls.

West Deschanel's life is turned upside-down when her father is sentenced to five years in prison. Since her mother's death years ago, she has lived with her father and her caretaker, Maria. Now her mother's estranged sister has surfaced and wants to take her to some out-of-the-way farm in Arkansas.

Living in L.A., West was accustomed to lavish surroundings. She attended a posh high school, drove a cool car, and was designing her own line of clothes about to be revealed at her very own fashion show.

Now she's in Possum Grape, Arkansas. She's gathering eggs, pulling weeds, battling chiggers, and riding the school bus. Dear Aunt Sherrie is all excited about taking her school shopping at WalMart, feeding her good home cooking, and dragging her to church every Sunday.

The only saving graces are meeting Sophie, who loves to design and sew as much as West, and having an amazingly cute foster brother named Steve living right under the same roof. Can Sophie and Steve offer enough to make West feel at home, or will West be driven totally crazy by the country life?

Linker's quirky characters and great humor had me giggling in every chapter. The lighthearted tone and easy style made this a pleasant and relaxing read. Girls are going to enjoy it and will probably hope that West's adventures continue in a sequel some day.

I expected this to by like every teen pageant film I'd ever seen, but it had more character depth - as well as being very funny. I'd give this to people looking for a fun, girly, high school comedy, with a dash of romance.

A fun and fluffy chick lit book about beauty pageants, Crowned is written in a very conversational tone. Presley Ashbury isn't the brightest crayon in the box, but her heart's in the right place. I have to take Ms. Linker at her word that she knows anything about the pageant world, but it's fun to get an inside glimpse. I found a couple of scenes mildly offensive (Presley dealing with a partially deaf shop attendant, and Presley's thoughts on minorities in the pageant world). I might feel better about the commentary on minorities if I knew where Ms. Linker's background in pageantry comes from...

Spoiled Hollywood teen West Deschanel is more than a bit peeved to be sent to the sticks. With her dad in jail for embezzlement, what better arrangement than just getting her housekeeper declared her legal guardian, after all? Instead, she's having to face shower schedules, sharing a room, small town values, and worst of all, a complete dearth of civilization - no Starbucks!

Trying to read this book left the same taste my mouth as watching Paris Hilton and Nichole Ricci tour the countryside in their last reality show. Bleh! I suppose it could get more shallow.... I'm just not sure how.

I couldn't finish it.

When powerful Hollywood agent Jean-Claude Deschanel goes to prison for embezzlement, his teenage daughter West is sent to a small town in Arkansas to live with relatives she's never even met.½