Geek Chic: The Zoey Zone [Hardcover]

Margie Palatini (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2008 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Geek Chic (Book 1)

Meet Zoey

Age: Eleven. Well, almost eleven. Backspace. Halfway to eleven.

Factoid: 198 days to sixth grade.

Problem: Coolability (see glossary inside).

Connect the dots: A bad hair situation . . . Growing earlobes . . .

Wanted:

1. A fairy godmother.

2. A molto chic makeover
[molto = very in Italian].

3. A seat at the primo lunch table.
[Primo is also Italian. It means best.]

The solution:

Tune in!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—This amalgamation of graphic novel and chapter book cleverly integrates wrinkled-looking notes, varied typefaces, wacky line drawings, and movie countdowns with straightforward prose to tell the funny if far-fetched tale of fifth-grader Zoey. Although sixth grade is 198 days away, she's already worried about her place on the "coolability" meter compared with the Bashleys: "Brittany-with-two-Ts and Ashley." An expert on obscure facts about the presidents, Zoey's idea of a good time is to catch bullfrogs and other amphibians with her friend Venus. She's hoping for a fairy godmother to make her cooler but what she finds is her great-grandfather's bowling shirt and fedora, which at least covers her bed-head. She runs into a photo shoot by U Grl of the Bashleys and their friends in the school hall. When the magazine's reps ask for something interesting from a locker, Zoey jumps in. Not only is her locker jam-packed with geeky books, art supplies, and other paraphernalia, and the reps are taken with her sense of style as well. Geek Chic offers more wish fulfillment than reality for girls—the staff members all don fedoras like Zoey's. There's nothing new about its message of self-acceptance except that it's aimed at the girls who need to hear it at younger and younger ages. Although slightly confusing in the beginning, the format will attract reluctant readers, and the story will please girls who cultivate offbeat interests with as much enthusiasm and zaniness as Zoey.—Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Zoey, 10, desperately needs a fairy godmother to give her a makeover and teach her about style if she is ever going to make it into the cool crowd in the lunchroom. Told with changing type, margin notes, and cartoons, her brisk, hilarious commentary and confessions will draw tweens into the contemporary Cinderella story. Readers will enjoy some of the yucky details: her best friend’s pet frog is a champion slimer (“his slime is more like spit than snot”). More than just a situation, there is a real story that builds to a surprising climax, as Zoey is driven in a limousine (it is an environmentally friendly hybrid) to what she thinks is going to be her ultimate makeover. Then, instead, of becoming a sweet princess in a tiara, she discovers beauty in what the title suggests: Geek Chic. Terms featured in the appended glossary of Zoey’s favorite words could become favorites with young readers. Grades 3-5. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (September 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061138983
• ISBN-13: 978-0061138980
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wow. My very first picture book -- PIGGIE PIE!, is celebrating
it's fifteenth anniversary this year! It tickles me to know that
'Gritch' is still giving giggles.
Visit her and my other characters on my website: www.margiepalatini.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adorable, December 2, 2010

By 

MztikGigglez (Central Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geek Chic: The Zoey Zone (Geek Chic (Quality)) (Paperback)

This book fits perfectly into the Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, and Dork Diaries category. On a recent trip to the book store I was in search of Dork Diaries for my younger sister (10, almost 11 and about to start 6th grade). She fell in love with Diary of a Wimpy Kid and has been about the only series she will actually read. She really wanted to start the dork diaries books from the first, but sadly it wasnt in stock. HOWEVER on the next shelf over I see an adorable bright book cover called "Geek Chic". After reading through the first 2 chapters I was convinced it was written for my sister! Zoey is 10 going on 11 and about to start middle school. She is funny and random, and illogically logical, and super relate-able.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, November 13, 2008

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Geek Chic: The Zoey Zone (Hardcover)

Eleven-year-old (Okay, more like ten and seven-eighths) Zoey Zinevich has figured out exactly what she needs before sixth grade starts in 198 days: a fairy godmother!

A good FG could fix up her hair, help her accessorize and make her "chic" (which can be used as both a noun and an adjective). Maybe with that kind of outside help, she and her friend, Venus, could eat lunch at The Table Bashley (ruled by Brittany and Ashley) instead of being banished to Table Ten, where Alex Shemtob inhales his food and exhales it again. Woe to those not wearing an art smock.

A surprise photo shoot at Harry S. Truman School by U GrL magazine brings Zoey's interests in presidents and molto retro clothing (molto means "very" in Italian, and retro means Zoey's grandpop's bowling shirt and fedora) to the spotlight. The creative director, a chic Lady in Black named Jazz, seems especially taken with Zoey's hat.

Could Jazz be the FG Zoey's been waiting for, or will she be stuck at Table Ten with bad hair forever?

Told in an almost multi-media format, using TV scripts and stills from "ZTube" videos produced by Zoey herself, this story will appeal to younger female fans of books like DIARY OF A WIMPY KID and MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF.

The ending may be a bit unrealistic, but I'm anxious to see if this might lead to more Zoey stories in the future.

Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars trés chic, October 15, 2008

By 

The Book Muncher (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Geek Chic: The Zoey Zone (Hardcover)

Meet Zoey Zinevich. She's almost eleven years old and eager to start eighth grade. She's only got one problem--Zoey is a bit of a geek, and in order to survive middle school (as she has heard), she's got to become cool. With less than two hundred days to magically transform her appearance, Zoey doesn't know what to do. And that fairy godmother hasn't appeared yet to give her a makeover. In this short but hilarious novel, readers and Zoey Zinevich will learn to love who they are.

Normally, I don't think I'd ever pick up this book because it is aimed at the middle school crowd or lower ages. However, I found Geek Chic to be a very funny and heartwarming read. Zoey's character is intelligent and quirky, and I enjoyed her unique narrations. Zoey's character authentically captures what it's like to be an awkward tween. Zoey is easy to relate to, because I'm sure we've all, at one point or another, wanted to be cooler than we are now. I have to say that I immensely liked the creativity in the layout of this novel. I've become so used to standardized text that the illustrations and interesting fonts were surprising and refreshing.

Overall, Geek Chic was a quick and enjoyable book that younger readers will love and enjoy. The plot and story may be a bit too simplistic for older readers though.