Julia (Sweet Sixteen) [Library Binding]

Melinda Metz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0613258304 | ISBN-13: 978-0613258302 | Publication Date: February 2000

Driving. Dating. A real social life. And the one extraordinary night where it all comes together...the Sweet Sixteen party is the coming-of-age celebration to end all celebrations. Whether it's a roaring good time or a total bust, it will be a memory to last a lifetime.

Six parties, six locations across the country -- each unique and totally unpredictable. Join six different heroes and heroines as they plan and celebrate their own Sweet Sixteens. The fun is just getting started...

Julia and Maggie have more in common than just their looks -- they both dread their Sweet 16 parties. What if they were to change places...? It's a modern-day Princess and Pauper story set in New York City....

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-Birthday parties provide the glue that holds these novels together. Deceptions and lies abound with no real consequences. Both books are dialogue driven, written in choppy, short sentences with very little description or character development. When Lucy's family moves during the middle of the school year, she decides to take this opportunity to redefine herself. Lucy's former "goth" guise sported bizarre hair color, black clothing, and only friends from the fringe. Her new look is prep, complete with pearls, natural hair color, and country-club friends. She assumes a third personality as a college sophomore. The lies she must tell and the juggling of activities ultimately lead to her downfall on the night of three very different sweet-16 parties where her attendance is expected. Told in alternating chapters and diary entries by Julia and Maggie, Julia is a modern-day, female version of The Prince and the Pauper. The two girls meet in the restroom of the Department of Motor Vehicles where they have both gone on their mutual 16th birthday to get their driver's licenses. What a shock to look into the eyes of a total stranger and see oneself reflected. On a whim, the teens decide to switch places and attend each other's birthday parties with the hopes of finding a situation better than the one they are leaving behind. Neither the conversations nor the situations really ring true. Both titles read like scripts for made-for-TV movies.
Lynda Short, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington, KY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Melinda Metz is the author of the ongoing young adult book series Roswell High, which is the basis of the WB television series Roswell. Melinda has also written books for several book series, including The New Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley, Ghosts of Fear Street, and Goosebumps Presents. She lives in Manhattan with a pen-eating dog names Dodger. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Econo-Clad Books (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613258304
• ISBN-13: 978-0613258302
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,746,629 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Melinda Metz grew up in San Jose, California. People sometimes ask if she knows the way there. She kinda does, but she has an off-kilter sense of direction, so to be confident of arriving, it's better to consult some kind of navigational device.

Her mother tried to teach her to read in kindergarten, but Melinda had no interest. She also had no interest in learning to write her name. (FYI, when Melinda was in kindergarten it was all about finger-painting, play time, and naps.) Eventually, she mastered both and even majored in English at San Jose State University.

After college, Melinda moved to Manhattan to seek her fortune, which involved learning to identify fruits and vegetables while working at a grocery store,
making $2.73 working backstage for an off-off Broadway play (her part of the box-office profits), and editing books.

Melinda and the lovely and talented Laura J. Burns pretty much became unofficial writing partners when they were editors at the same company. They teamed up to brainstorm story ideas, and at some point their brains fused in some key places. Later they worked on the Roswell High book series, Laura developing and editing the series, Melinda writing.

That series led to Melinda and Laura, now an official writing team, writing two TV pilots, moving to L.A. to work on the Roswell TV show, and briefly living in Toronto while on the writing staff of 1-800-Missing. They both continue to write books, together and separately.

Melinda has never regretted learning to read and write her name.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern day Parent Trap!, February 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Sixteen #1: Julia (Paperback)

I really loved this book! It starts out with two look-alikes, Julia and Maggie who are both dreading their Sweet Sixteen birthday parties, but for different reasons. They may look alike but they're from different worlds. Julia, is a rich girl from New York who feels like her life is being ran by her parents. They have her whole life planned out. Maggie is from a different part of New York, your typical fun girl. But her mother left her when she was born, and to her surprise, she's just going to show up on her Sweet Sixteen! Both girls are having troubles and on the morning of their Sweet Sixteen (the book takes place on just one day) and they decide to switch places! I recommend this book to everyone!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much better than I expected., March 23, 2000

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweet Sixteen #1: Julia (Paperback)

To be honest, I didn't expect much from this book; I bought it because I am a fan of the author's Roswell High series. However, I found this title to be suprisingly good. There wasn't much action, but the characters were likable, and I really enjoyed the ending. Even though I had never been in a situation like either Julia or Maggie, I could still relate to them. I only had one question: The book seemed to focus just as much on Maggie as Julia, so why was it called Julia?