Kathy Johnson's STARLETTE UNIVERSE: Book 1: 'CAT'ASTROPHE (Volume 1) [Paperback]

Kathy Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2012

The core themes of STARLETTE UNIVERSE are good vs. evil, God vs. the devil, the Starlettes vs. Eva Deneval. When six Spruce Pine High students form a friendship club to fight injustice and wrong at their school, they meet the ultimate 'mean' girl, Eva the Evil, who has the ability to morph into a variety of monsters, be it a werewolf, zombie, vampire or undead head. Against all odds, the Starlettes, fun-loving beauties, emerge victorious and defeat Eva and her wicked forces from hell. Kathy Johnson, lawyer, author, and mother of Miss Vermont 1999 and Miss Vermont USA 2001, has just released the first in a series of ST ARLETTE UNNERSE books aimed at 'tween and teen girls, ages 10-16. Written in poetic rhyme and pun-filled prose, STARLETTE UNIVERSE books are serious, yet humorous, and full of life lessons for girls. There are several distinguishing characteristics: (l) 'Starlette-isms', or word play, give shine to the storyline. (2) 'Sparkles', or rules for living, aid the girls in making good decisions. (3) 'Unique-speak', or each girl's different talk, makes her personality glow. Dick Kulpa has successfully turned the six Starlettes into America's sweetarts' with his cover art and colorful illustrations. He is former publisher of Cracked Magazine, creator of Bat Boy, and a three-time syndicated newspaper comic strip cartoonist. The overriding premise of STARLETTE UNIVERSE is that evil and Eva are allowed to exist but that good and the Starlettes will ultimately prevail. After entering STARLETTE UNIVERSE, all readers are faced with a decision: Team GOOD? Or Team D.evil?

Product Details

• Paperback: 66 pages
• Publisher: Kulpa Publishing Co. (March 21, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061561177X
• ISBN-13: 978-0615611778
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,317,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars The Starlettes have arrived! April 30, 2012

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Author Kathy Johnson describes herself as 'a fashion-savvy pageant mom and female version of Dr. Seuss:' she happens to be the mother of Miss Vermont 1999 and Miss Vermont USA 2001 AN she is an attorney. The ideas behind this her first book, colorfully illustrated by cartoonist Dick Kulpa, is to address tween and teen girls empowering them to make good choices. In this first edition she sets a standard for presentation that may need to be re-thought: the 8 1/2" X 11" format looks more like a term paper than a book, each page written in multiple colors of serif type for each 'paragraph and each page surrounded by garish stars and images of the featured girls at the bottom. It makes concentrating on the information printed akin to staring through a kaleidoscope, and this detracts for the messages of the story.

Her cast includes six 'starlettes' - Bekka, the smart on, Jinnie, an Eco-geek, Skylar, blonde and ditzy, Ashlee, obsessed with beauty of appearance, Lizzie, the vain one, and Sallee, the athletic one. Oh yes, and there is Punkin, Skylar's German Schnauzer. Imagine 6 Barbie dolls in different wigs and you have them. But as Johnson describes her creations, these girls are 'united by friendship, fashion, boys, and a strong sense of right and wrong, disdaining cliques and anyone who doesn't treat them and other nicely'. But these girls communicate in verse, starletteisms (word play), 'unique-speak' that defines each of the starlettes, and of course rhyme. The story i one of good against evil, good being the Starlettes universe and evil being Eva the Evil who disrupts life by morphing into werewolf/zombie/vampire/undead/whirling dervish and stirring up trouble with cruelty to animals.

It is quite possible that a book of this sort -or a series for which this book is the standard bearer - will appeal to young girls, and that of course is the intended audience. The concepts are solid and the emphasis on good overcoming evil is worthy. The manner in which the book is formatted is a major problem for any adult who happens to pick up this book for their children. But that is a fixable flaw and otherwise it seems that Kathy Johnson has a good, if a bit naive, concept for passing along healthy behavior and morals to young girls. Most like young girls will give this a five star rating.... Grady Harp, April 12

3.0 out of 5 stars 'Cat'astrophe October 2, 2012

By Sandra K. Stiles

Format:Paperback

This was a book that is hard to classify. Although it is written similar to a picture boook, the main characters are young teenage girls. This might be good for middle schoolers. The story is told through verse and puns. I loved that the author used vocabulary that was unique and more difficult. There are explanations of unfamiliar things at the bottom of the pages. I think the girls in my class will really enjoy this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and uplifting read for young girls September 12, 2012

By Paul Turk

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Kathy Johnson's book is a great read for preteen to midteen age girls. It deals in part with a serious subject of mankind's relationship to animals and properly caring for them in a way that is positive and easy to understand. It also provides a good moral story which is entertaining and uplifting. I highly recommend the book to parents, grandparents and other adults who are looking for a book for young girls to read and enjoy.