Airhead Book 3: Runaway [Hardcover]

Meg Cabot (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 20, 2010 | Series: Airhead (Book 3)

Where can you hide
When everyone knows your name?

The third and final book the NYT bestselling trilogy.

Emerson Watts is on the run: from school, from work, from her family, from her friends, from herself.
With everyone she loves furious with her for something she can't explain, and nothing but the live Stark Angel fashion show on New Year's Eve to look forward to, Em's reached the end of her rope. . .what's the point of even going on?
But when she discovers the truth about Nikki's secret, she knows there's only one person she can turn to.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–In this final volume in the trilogy, Em Watts is being held captive by Brandon Stark, son of evil billionaire entrepreneur Robert Stark. Thanks to a forced brain transplant, the teen has been living in the body of superstar model Nikki Howard. Em manages to break out of Brandon's place and find her way back to NYC, but of course, it's impossible to hide when you're a world-famous celebrity. With the help of her tech-savvy friend, Felix, she uncovers Robert Stark's top-secret venture, Project Phoenix, and ultimately reveals it to the public. A bit slow-moving in the middle, the story really picks up as all the loose ends are tied up. Several romantic subplots with secondary characters provide humorous moments, as does the strong narrative voice. Despite its sci-fi premise, this is pure Cabot. At its essence are discussions of femininity and the premium that society places on beauty and youth, all wrapped up in a surface-level fluffy read full of brand-name-dropping and glamour.Jennifer Barnes, formerly at Homewood Library, IL
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Readers who loved the story and characters in Airhead (2008), in which 16-year-old Em's brain is transferred into the body of supermodel Nikki, and groaned at the cliff-hanger ending of its sequel, Being Nikki (2009), will dive right into the concluding volume in the Airhead trilogy. In this fast-paced novel combining adventure, romance, mystery, and celebrity culture, Em finally comes into her own, better understanding who she is, where she has come from, what she wants, and how to bring things right at last. Em's appealing first-person narrative makes the most of this compelling and ultimately satisfying story. Grades 8-10. --Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 310 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; 1 Reprint edition (April 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545040604
• ISBN-13: 978-0545040600
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I write! Books for you, your sister, your best friend, your mother . . . . even for men with good taste!

Most of my time is spent over at my website, http://megcabot.com, so be sure to stop by!

UK, New Zealand, and Australia fans, visit http://www.megcabot.co.uk.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#82 in Books > Teens

#82 in Books > Teens

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Snappy and smart April 20, 2010

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Em Watts is still stuck being Nikki Howard, but she is getting closer to discovering the reason why her brain was transplanted into Nikki's body...because the real Nikki is alive, and she knows everything. The only problem is, she's quite unwilling to talk unless she gets what she wants--her own body back. Em needs Christopher's help if they are going to discover the reason behind Stark's secret themselves, but unfortunately Christopher isn't exactly happy with Em right now. With everyone wanting so much from her and her sort of boyfriend hating her, is it really any wonder that Em feels like running away?

Runaway, the conclusion to the Airhead trilogy, is a snappy and smart read that goes by far too quickly! The novel picks up only days after the tension-filled conclusion of Being Nikki, and dives into the action right away, with all of the drama surrounding Brandon Stark's attempt at whisking Em and the Howards away to his summer home. They are quickly rescued, but when they return to New York, it is evident that they aren't any safer there. Lulu and Gabriel Luna quickly join the group as Em and Christopher attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery through a series of fast paced action scenes, complete with plenty of quick thinking, computer hacking, and romantic tension.

Meanwhile, plenty is happening with the large cast of supporting characters--people a hooking up, breaking up, and making up. Nikki, who comes off as horribly vain and shallow throughout most of the series, gets a makeover and a drive for revenge, making her more likable and more ruthless. Em is dealing with her own issues concerning her mother and how she taught Em and her sister to perceive beauty, which adds a bit more depth to the plot....

Cabot gives readers hints at Stark's insidious plan throughout the book, which may be predictable to some readers, but not any less surprising or suspenseful once all is revealed--including the true reason behind Em's brain transplant. But even after the big reveal, Em must work fast to outsmart Stark and see that justice is served. Finally, the book culminates in a highly satisfying confrontation readers have been looking forward to since Airhead. In her trademark style, Cabot proves once again that being smart and being fashionable don't have to be mutually exclusive and that by being yourself, no matter how hard it may be, you will always come out on top.

Cover Comment: I think the model's position looks a little awkward, but I really like that she is in the act of running away. I've always found the design of the Airhead covers pretty neat, and I just love how the same model has been used for all three books. Very neat cover! Read more ›

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Meh September 18, 2010

By V. Canfield TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The premise is good, but Cabot has Em getting so caught up in self-dialogue and restating the same thing over and over I found myself thinking, get on with the story already. That's when I skipped to the next page. The internal thoughts take up about 50% of the book, which equals sloppy writing.

There were many moments similar to this: Then I realized the thing in his hand was a gun. He had a gun! He ACTUALLlY was going to shoot us. I couldn't believe it. Here I was, thinking we were going to get away and [character] pulled out a gun. What could we do? If we ran, he would shoot us. But what choice did we have? I blinked. Was this really happening? It seemed so strange that just yesterday I was at a shoot on the beach and now I was looking at the barrel of a gun... And it goes on and on like that for paragraphs and sometimes pages. Too much telling and not enough showing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Cheap Thrills--Not Up to Cabot's Usual Performance August 12, 2010

By T. Wang

Format:Hardcover

I was really looking forward to reading this book. Although Airhead (the first book in the series) and I got off to a rough start, I found the 2nd book engaging and funny. What's more - it left readers with a major cliffhanger that kept them guessing. Although Cabot does a good job of writing an adventure story with little bits of humor, the last book in the Airhead series did not impress me. The conclusion leaves much to be said about women's body image -- a major theme of the book, but only artificially it seems.

Like the title of the book that started it all implies, the Airhead series is filled with fluff and superficiality - don't read it if you're looking for any heartfelt moments (Cabot manages to awkwardly insert one such a scene between Em and her mother). It's subpar chick-lit.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Meg Cabot finishes "Airhead" series with a bang! April 20, 2010

By Barbara Bell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

As Meg Cabot's newest release "Runaway," opens, we see that Em Watts is hiding, from the paparazzi, from her family, from her friends, and even from her own life. Forced into an unhappy partnership with her non-boyfriend (who just happens to be the power hungry son of her evil employer), Em is at her breaking point. Now she's just waiting her time out, but the waiting is taking to look. She is, in fact, waiting for the live Stark Angel fashion show and for the real Nikki to stand up and reveal what she found out about Stark Enterprises, as well as what led to this whole predicament. Her dilemma is that she is stuck between the desire to protect those she cares about and the determination to expose Stark's wrongdoings. Em will have to decide if she can take a stand, or if she's better off running away from it all.

"Runaway," third in the Airhead series, was preceded by "Airhead" and "Being Nikki" and closes this trilogy off nicely. The storyline was fascinating and Cabot still managed to surprise her readers with tidbits. I don't like to reveal anything substantial about the book, its progression, or its ending, but this one does end happily ever after. Em's character goes through quite a bit and with this last book of the trilogy, readers will applaud her ability to hang in there. Also, a big driver of this book was the background discussion about business ethics, identity theft, and even reclaiming a new identity. It's the gift that Christopher gives to Em at the end that is so thoughtful and touching, and it reminds readers that we are who we are, not matter what crosses our path in life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WhatMissKelleyIsReading: [...] April 20, 2010

By Lea Kelley

Format:Hardcover

***Spoilers for books 1 and 2***

Just when things had started looking up for Em Watts (Christopher knows she's Em not Nikki! Christopher loves her!), they took a turn for the unexpected at the end of Being Nikki, the second book in this trilogy. Nikki Howard, it turned out, was not really dead. She also wanted her body back. In an attempt to save Christopher and her family, Em agreed to break things off with Christopher and pretend to be in love with Brandon Stark. That's the situation that we find her in at the start of Runaway.

Everything that was great about the first two books in this series continues to be fun here. Em tries to do the right thing while protecting her family, only this doesn't go over so well with Christopher when he tries to rescue her. Her parents are also having a hard time dealing with the tabloid reports of Em's antics, and Nikki (the real one) is driving everyone crazy with her complaints about her new, less attractive body. Can Em save the Howard family and herself? Can Christopher handle it if she does?

I love Meg Cabot's books, and Runaway doesn't disappoint. Sure, the premise only gets more ridiculous as the book goes on, but she sells it. Meanwhile, her characters are always funny and likable, and she writes heroines that are to be admired. Em might have to walk the runway in bra and panties, but she's nobody's victim, and she saves herself more that once.

This is a very satisfying conclusion to a very fun trilogy. I can't wait to see what Meg Cabot comes up with next.