Review "Debut author Cherry's writing sparkles with wit, and she cleverly uses Scarletville's obsession with redheadedness to raise questions about typical high school politics and the ways people determine what is beautiful, good, and worthy of popularity--all with a satirical wink to readers." --Publishers Weekly"[U]nderneath the "ginger" focus, there is a really strong commentary on superficiality and social standing. Readers will find themselves questioning the distribution of power based on appearance and the lengths that people will go to in order to protect their deepest secrets.... While readers may giggle their way through this fast-paced tale, they will also find themselves thinking about it." --School Library Journal"Debut author Cherry infuses this satire of social hierarchy with plenty of wit, and Felicity is believable as a girl struggling between who she is and what society--and her pageant-loving mother--expects from her. This may challenge readers to reconsider how they define beauty--and perhaps give them the confidence to question a pecking order or two." --Booklist "Addresses bullying, accepting those with physical differences and sticking up for what we believe. This is an important read for teens." --Children's Literature About the Author Alison Cherry, author of Red, For Real, Look Both Ways, and The Classy Crooks Club, grew up in a suburb of Chicago and graduated from Harvard. She is a professional photographer and worked as a lighting designer for theater, dance, and opera productions for many years. During that time, she spent six months in the magical, exhausting world of summer stock theater, where everyone works 120 hours a week and survives on a mysterious elixir of caffeine, sugar, and adrenaline. Eleven years later, she's still trying to catch up on sleep. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. alisoncherrybooks.com Follow @alison_cherry on Twitter and @alison_cherry on Instagram
M**E
Epic
This book is sooo epic Ioved it it is sooo imaginative and creative. I would recommend this book to 10 to 15 year olds as some of the context us quite rude but I said still an add amazing book you have got to read it.
M**N
wishing for red hair now
This books is just amazing. It is a totally reverse of roles in the day in of where you get laughed at for red hair in primary school. Just remember it's just cells just because of a colour doesn't mean you can't do what you dream.
J**Y
Really good.
I really liked guidebook because it kept me hooked on every time I began to read it. Also, I experienced Felicity's experiences as Alison described it really well and gave it an excellent ending.
X**X
Amazing
I couldn't put it down. I am 12 and thought it was an extremely good book I would recommend it to anyone 11+
T**D
a trips down imagination road review
Title: RedAuthor: Alison CherryFrom: NetgalleyGenre: ContemporaryRelease Date: 8th October 2013Challenges: 2016 Blogger Shame, 2016 Netgalley & Edelweiss ChallengeLinks: Goodreads - AmazonFelicity StJohn lives in Scarletville, a redhead sanctuary. But while it's a great place to be if you're a redhead, if you're not then life can get pretty tough. As the girl with the reddest hair in school, Felicity has it all; a popular boyfriend, great friends, and a shot at being Miss Scarlet, a highly coveted prize that only twelve girls from Felicity's year can participate in. Except that Felicity isn't a real redhead by Scarletville standards and has had her hair dyed to cover her true strawberry blonde colour ever since she was born...I only just realised that Red was supposed to be a satire and that has made me feel a little silly. Going into it I kind of read it as across between a high school story and a slightly dystopian plot (because basically you're descriminated against if you're not a redhead) and honestly I do think that it works in that way. Probably better than it works as a satire.There is the obvious theme throughout of being true to yourself and accepting who you are and what you look like, and these were done pretty well. I actually liked the fact that the ending was a little more realistic than some books would have it. *Slight spoiler alert in the next sentance* I was a little disappointed that Felicity didn't enter the pageant with her natural hair colour in the end, I was expecting something a little more Cady from Mean Girls from her.I liked the budding romance between Felicity and Jonathan. As a non-redhead he did come across as a bit more real than several of the other characters and I felt that he and Felicity actually managed to build on more in common than some of the other characters. I'd go as far as saying that Jonathan is what saved Felicity from being a ridicolously shallow character. In contrast Felicity's jock boyfriend was incrediably annoying, and was basically a stereotype (which even she seemed to realise).I will admit to still being a little confused about why Gabby was choosing to blackmail Felicity, especially as she said that it wasn't actually personal. Some of the things she got her to do didn't really seem to have the effect that she wanted them to. But at least it showed a character (albeit a brunette one) trying to rail against society.I did enjoy Red, and I didn't ever feel like I should put it down, but I can't help but think that it could have been so much better!
M**K
Unique And Hilarious!
4.5/5 stars!I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I first started reading Red, something quirky and funny maybe? The whole concept and idea around the book is pretty ridiculous, yet fantastic and really funny at the same time. Red was a really exciting read, with an interesting plot and bubbly writing style. I’ve never read anything like Red before; it’s completely unique and kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. I’ve read quite a few reviews that said this novel was absurd, and I agree with them in a way, it is absurd – but that’s part of the charm of the novel and I loved every minute that I was reading it!Felicity is our main protagonist in Red, and I absolutely adored her character. She’s under a lot of pressure from her mother to be the best she can be, and to win the Beauty Pageant that Red focuses on and I couldn’t help but feel extremely sorry for her. Felicity has tried to contain who she really is; someone who hates the competitions and the lies. Someone who loves art and just wants to be herself, even though she feels she can’t be. I felt like I really had a connection with Felicity’s character and thought she was really relatable. All my siblings have red hair, and although I’ve never disliked my dark-brown hair, I can understand how Felicity just wants to fit in with her family.I loved how all the secondary characters were really well developed and all had their own personalities and different quirks, even if I didn’t like their characters much at all. Jonathan is the boy that changes everything for Felicity and I loved him right from the beginning. Jonathan saw who Felicity for who she really was, and didn’t question it. He was a really adorable character; shy, kind, caring and all around loveable! Moving onwards - I really disliked Felicity’s mother, Ginger - she drove me round the bend and I visualised shoving her off a cliff on more than one occasion. I found it incredibly hard to comprehend how Ginger could go on shoving her own dreams onto her daughter. I understand that Ginger just wanted her daughter to fit in and have lots of opportunities, but she made her entire life a complete and utter lie – it was almost as if she couldn’t love her daughter properly unless she kept dying her hair. The whole situation was filled completely with drama and angst and was pretty messed up – but I suppose that’s what made the book what it is.Overall, I really enjoyed reading Red – it was a light, refreshing read with a really wonderful look into the stereotypes in the world. With its wonderfully written characters and overall drama – it’s definitely a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Alison Cherry’s writing was really brilliant and beautiful with the perfect amount of humour and seriousness mixed together to create a fabulous novel! I’d definitely recommend Red to anyone with a sense of humour (even if you’re not a redhead), although I wouldn’t recommend anyone to take it too seriously, as it’s obviously not meant for that – apart from maybe the morals of the story. The only reason Red is getting a 4.5/5 star rating instead of a 5/5 star rating is because I kind of wished the ending had been a little more resolved. I thought there were a lot of loose ends that I thought need tying up and it was all kind of abrupt. However, none of this deters from the fabulousness of this novel. I can’t wait to read more from Alison Cherry is the future; she’s definitely an author to keep an eye on!
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