Price of Admission [Paperback]

Leslie Margolis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 27, 2007

Money Talks. Secrets Walk.

Jasmine Green is the daughter of a major Hollywood studio head. She lives the kind of life that makes people salivate (while hating her): bottomless bank account, vintage car, mansion, and birthday parties that end up splashed across the pages of People magazine.

But even fabulously wealthy girls (and their family and friends) have skeletons in their walk-in closets. Just to clear her head, Jasmine anonymously writes a thinly veiled exposè about her life in the form of a screenplay. But when the script is bought by her own father's studio, suddenly this juicy read is the talk of the town, and on the fast track to being green-lit.

Jasmine knows she has to do whatever it takes to stop her family's dirty laundry from becoming the next box-office smash. But she's up against one persistent tabloid reporter who's making it very, very difficult to keep her secrets....

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–This story is told in alternating narratives by 17-year-old Jasmine Green and Jess, the main character in the diary/screenplay that Jasmine has written. Jess's descriptions of the characters and events make for quite a scandalous depiction of Jasmine's real life. Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the altered and real-life characters straight. The story begins with the death of Jasmine's ex-boyfriend from a drug and alcohol overdose. After his parents find a copy of Jasmine's script, they sell the option to Jasmine's father, thinking their dead son is the actual author. Jasmine's father, a Hollywood producer, purchases the production rights without reading the text, so he has no idea that it contains every scandal his family has survived over the last year. Jasmine tries desperately to make things right only to make matters worse before her problems are resolved. The ending is wrapped up rather quickly and the plot itself is reminiscent of Mel Gilden's Beverly Hills 90210 (HarperCollins). Drug and alcohol use and teen sex are implied. Fans of Margolis's Fix (S & S, 2006) are the most likely audience for this Hollywood tale.–G. Alyssa Parkinson, Highland Township Library, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 217 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (February 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416924558
• ISBN-13: 978-1416924555
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,760,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Your soul is for sale, so is your script, September 4, 2010

By 

The Mod Podge Bookshelf - See all my reviews

This review is from: Price of Admission (Paperback)

"Jasmine is a great character; she really acts her age, instead of being on of those teenagers who exist as if they were in their mid-twenties just because of their location. She's down to Earth in a Head-in-th-Clouds scene."

Read my full review here:[...]

4.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting YA Review: Price Of Admission, July 4, 2008

By 

Enchanting Reviews "Lisa" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Price of Admission (Paperback)

PRICE OF ADMISSION
LESLIE MARGOLIS

Rating: 3.5 Enchantments

Jasmine Green's life has been turned upside down. The screenplay that she wrote about her life, with the barely veiled characters of herself, her dad, her brother, their step mom, everyone has been discovered and credited to her recently deceased boyfriend. And if that wasn't bad enough, it's the hottest thing going right now and her father's acquired the screenplay.

PRICE OF ADMISSION is a fun book, chronicling Jasmine's discovery that the thinly veiled diary is about to make Austin's parents a million dollars and potentially ruin her own life in the process, especially when she gets a copy of the screenplay from her father, she knows one look at it will ruin everything, all her family secrets (like her brother hooking up with their twenty-three year old step mom) will be out for all the world to see.

The book has a fun premise and you have to feel sorry for Jasmine as she tries to figure out a way to come clean about the whole thing. And just when things are looking up, they come crashing right back down again. Sprinkled throughout the story are scenes from the screenplay, which highlight different aspects of Jasmine/Jess's life. From her mixed up love life to finding out her father's remarrying-again-to finding her brother kissing her new stepmother.

I really liked Duke, Jasmine's best friend and would have liked to have seen a little more of him in the book. Some parts of the story did feel a little rushed, but PRICE OF ADMISSION is still a very enjoyable read.

You can visit Ms. Margolis' website at www.lesliemargolis.com

Lisa
Enchanting Reviews
April 2008

5.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, April 2, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Price of Admission (Paperback)

As a studio head's daughter, Jasmine Green's seemingly perfect life is just a facade for some very serious problems. Despite her cushy home, endless resources, and fancy cars, Jasmine's father is completely absorbed with his job, her brother is having an affair with their stepmother, and Jasmine herself is dating two guys at once. When one these guys dies, his screenplay is found in his apartment, and is sold to Jasmine's father's company. The only problem? It's really Jasmine's screenplay, and it's the story of her life. Every lurid detail.

Price of Admission is a gripping, galvanizing, and outstanding novel that explores the depths of family loyalty as Jasmine does all it takes to keep her family's dirty little secrets from being revealed. This novel doesn't fail to meet expectations, and Jasmine's clear and expressive voice is authentic. Rather than make excuses for her actions, she learns to face them, making her a character that no one can resist. The colorful cast of expressive and fallible characters make this lively and full of attitude read that will steal your attention away and won't release you until the credits roll.

http://thecompulsivereader.blogspot.com/