The New and Improved Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Control (Paperback)

~ (Author), Sandy Rideout (Author) "I scan the crowd around the arrivals gate for one of my mother's conspicuous disguises..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sir Nigel, Freak Force, Leigh Reid (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7–10—Vivien Leigh Reid's first forays into acting, detailed in Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva (2005) and Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Training (2006, both Griffin), ended in disaster as her starring role on a TV show led to a big head and her eventual dismissal. Now that her actress-mother is engaged to a producer, Leigh has been offered a role in his new TV show, Freak Force. Eager to prove that she can avoid the diva syndrome, she jumps at the chance to reform her reputation. The role turns out to be more challenging than she expected: she is a humanoid, part female college freshman and part warthog, and doing her own stunts is complicated by an unwieldy costume. Her relationships are complicated, too: her male costars don't want to work with her, her evil future stepsisters are determined to make her life miserable, and her mother is planning a wedding. To complicate things further, she falls for one of her costars. Leigh's first-person narrative (including fantasy sequences written in script format) is engaging. Fans of Meg Cabot's "The Princess Diaries" series (HarperCollins) will enjoy the inside look at life among the famous and identify with Leigh's romantic travails. Though it's not necessary for readers to be familiar with the previous volumes, they may be in demand once this one hits the shelves.—Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
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Review

"In the third book about Leigh's life as an up-and-coming actress (following Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid and Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid), we find her determined to ditch her reputation as a diva. She is in Los Angeles visiting her mother, a B-list actress with A-list aspirations, when she unexpectedly is offered a starring role in Freak Force, a new action-adventure television show about college students whose DNA has merged with animal DNA. Leigh reluctantly signs on, certain she has only been offered the part as a bribe. The producer, Jake, has just gotten engaged to her mother and is hoping to win Leigh over. Once the show begins filming, Leigh realizes it may not be easy to stay calm and centered. She discovers her character, the unfortunately named Effluvia, is a hideous warthog. If that's not enough, both the director and her all-male costars seem to have it in for her. Meanwhile, at home, her wicked stepsisters-to-be do their best to break her spirit and her mother becomes obsessed with her upcoming wedding. Leigh tries to keep her calm, but will all of the stress unleash her repressed diva? Leigh is a likeable, funny, and realistic heroine . . . Leigh's life as a burgeoning young star has a wide appeal thanks to her down-to-earth outlook and her witty personality."—KLIATT

 

"Vivien Leigh Reid's first forays into acting, detailed in Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva (2005) and Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Training (2006, both Griffin), ended in disaster as her starring role on a TV show led to a big head and her eventual dismissal. Now that her actress-mother is engaged to a producer, Leigh has been offered a role in his new TV show, Freak Force. Eager to prove that she can avoid the diva syndrome, she jumps at the chance to reform her reputation. The role turns out to be more challenging than she expected: she is a humanoid, part female college freshman and part warthog, and doing her own stunts is complicated by an unwieldy costume. Her relationships are complicated, too: her male costars don't want to work with her, her evil future stepsisters are determined to make her life miserable, and her mother is planning a wedding. To complicate things further, she falls for one of her costars. Leigh's first-person narrative (including fantasy sequences written in script format) is engaging. Fans of Meg Cabot's "The Princess Diaries" series (HarperCollins) will enjoy the inside look at life among the famous and identify with Leigh's romantic travails. Though it's not necessary for readers to be familiar with the previous volumes, they may be in demand once this one hits the shelves."—Laurie Slagenwhite, School Library Journal

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (February 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312358288
• ISBN-13: 978-0312358280
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,662,725 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 19, 2007

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

In this poignant novel about our favorite diva -- now in control -- there is lots of humor and romance.

Her mother is marrying a guy that Vivien would like if it wasn't for his daughters, who are awful to say the least. They are backstabbing, conniving little brats!

Jake (Vivien's mother's fiancé) got her a job on a new show that the critics said needed a female character. That would have been all right if Chaz, the director of Diamond Heights (the show she got fired from for being a diva) wasn't the director! He is, of course, rude to Vivien the whole time, and she knows that he only keeps her there because Jake owns the company producing the show. Being an actress doesn't sound so glamorous anymore, does it?

Not only is the director a jerk but the other male actors treat her horribly because she has never done stunts before. (The show is about people who were transformed into animals and they are trying to take down the mad scientist who made them this way. Totally an action show!)

I really liked this book because it is funny and lighthearted but also has a great plot. I think almost anyone could read this book and get something out of it!

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud funny, April 4, 2007

By	Terry South "Quality Book Reviews" (Maryville, TN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Vivien, once again seems to be getting herself tangled up in some of the most bizarre situations. She is back on TV, now wearing a costume, but she is eager to prove that she can avoid the diva syndrome this time. In an attempt to reform her reputation, she is thrown into a challenging role that was not quite what she expected. In her new role she is required to perform her own stunts in costume which is complicated to say the least. To further add to her problems are her complicated relationships; her male co-stars don't want to work with her, her future step sisters are determined to make her miserable, and on top of all of this her mother is in the midst of planning her wedding. Now she is falling for one of her co-stars, will her life ever not be so complicated?

Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout have a strong imaginative plot from start to finish, and have developed memorable characters. This story is laugh out loud funny, down right hilarious, and is very entertaining. I highly recommend this one without any hesitation!

While reading the story my daughter wanted to know what I was reading and I began telling her about it and since she has taken the book home and has informed me she wants all of the deuts books to read. I am so thankful she has a new found love of reading. Thank you, maybe she will spend more time reading than watching TV. I must also admit that I quite enjoyed the book and will buy the prior books and read before passing along to my daughter.

4.0 out of 5 stars Another winner, February 24, 2007

By	www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/ "www.bookshippe... (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I am such a huge fan of this series. I could not wait to get the latest installment and it did not disappoint. Once again our Vivien seems to get herself tangled up in the weirdest situations - she is back on TV - wearing a beast costume no less. The description of Vivien trying to a)believe that she has to be on national tv in a animal costume and b) Vivien's attempts at "being one" with the costume (tail and all) is hilarious. Vivien also may be finding love in this one or is she?

While I really enjoyed the book, I missed the one on one moments that Vivien shared with her mother in the first book. It seems that most of the interaction between the two also included alot of other people (most of them highly irritating). For me, what works best in this series is the connection (sometimes tedious) between mother and daugher. With the twists in this book - Vivien and her mother seem to be heading towards less one on one and more family (by marriage) oriented themes - which I am not sure will work as well.

However, the book is hilarious, our Vivien is her true self and this is a great purchase.

Buy it.