Prom Anonymous [Hardcover]

Blake Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2006

Chloe Thomas is going to the prom. She doesn’t have a date, she needs a dress, and she’s the last person anyone expects to see at the dance. But her two oldest friends asked her to go, and she said yes. She quickly begins to regret her decision, though. Laura and Jace are too busy with their own preparations to help, her "real" friends think she’s insane for going, and her parents are just thrilled she’s participating. By the time the big night arrives, Chloe barely hopes to survive.With drama, humor, and a touch of prom magic, Blake Nelson delivers a story as memorable as prom itself.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Laura, Jace, and Chloe were best friends growing up, but once high school hit, they grew apart and found new (very different) friends. Now theyre juniors, and Laura has decided that nothing would be better than to go to the prom with her two oldest friends. A flurry of planning ensues. Freaky Chloe doesnt have a date or a dress, and isnt sure she wants either–after all, the only thing freakier than Chloe is Chloe in a dress with a blind date. Laura is determined to find her an appropriate date. Jace the jock wants to go with the cute new tennis star, but has a difficult time asking him. And Laura is so caught up in planning the perfect evening that she ignores the fact that her relationship with her boyfriend, with whom she had had sex over a hundred times in their 14 months together, is falling apart. Of course, all works out in the end. This is a fun read with decently drawn characters, some serious issues, a fair amount of teenage drinking, and a satisfying ending. Most high school girls will be able to identify with at least one of the main characters. A good addition where chick-lit is popular.–Morgan Johnson-Doyle, Sierra High School, Colorado Springs, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Laura organizes for prom as though she were a political campaign manager, and, in a sense, she is. First object is to make sure that her two girlfriends, Jace and Chloe, get to go. Finding a date for the reluctant, artsy Chloe necessitates a complex search through a network of friends and friends of friends. There are meetings at Denny's for progress checks on dresses, shoes, manicure appointments, makeup, hairstyles, seating plans, and more. Notwithstanding the intense focus on prom anticipation and all the fussy attendant details, Nelson's story reaches beyond light satire. All three girls are strong characters in their own right, and their contrasting points of view will remind many readers of Ann Brashares' Traveling Pants series. The big dance turns out to be a catalyst in each of their lives--a breakthrough experience that clarifies relationships and propels the prom goers to a deeper sense of their emerging identities. Because of some mature content, reserve this for readers who are actually approaching the age for prom. Link this to Laurie Halse Anderson's Prom (2005). Anne O'Malley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (March 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670059455
• ISBN-13: 978-0670059454
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,150,768 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, OR. He attended Wesleyan University and NYU.

He began his career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine. His first novel GIRL, was serialized in SASSY Magazine and was made into a film starring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.

Nelson has since published ten more novels, including ROCKSTAR SUPERSTAR and THE NEW RULES OF HIGH SCHOOL, PROM ANONYMOUS and GENDER BENDER.

His science fiction novel THEY CAME FROM BELOW was a Kliatt Editors Choice pick in 2008 and his 2006 novel PARANOID PARK was made into a film by Gus Van Sant which won the Cannes Special Anniversary Prize Award in 2006, as well as Italy's Grinzane Literary award.

His latest book DESTROY ALL CARS has been praised as "Smart and entertaining" by the New York Times, and was called "A wonderful novel" by the Los Angeles Times.

His novel RECOVERY ROAD was released in March of 2011. His newest novel, DREAM SCHOOL, the sequel to GIRL, is being released in December, 2011 from Figment.

Figment is a web site for teens and young adults to create, discover, and share new reading and writing. Whatever you're into, from sci-fi to sonnets, you can find it all at www.figment.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than any Prom-, March 14, 2006

By 

S. Cohen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prom Anonymous (Hardcover)

I loved this book, it's one of those that leave you wishing for more-what's going to happen to Chloe and Zach? Will Paul learn how to deal with his mental illness and become the man he is meant to be? What about Laura, is she going to confront Mike about his indiscretion at the prom or just leave him to figure it out for himself? And will Ryan turn out to be the Best Boyfriend Ever? And, Rebecca, will she get a chance to wear that fabulous dress again? God, I hope so.
I felt, at the end of this book, as if I'd known-and loved- these girls all my life. I really liked how different they all were and how much they valued each other's traits-Blake Nelson has, once again, captured beautifully the nuances and importance of fully formed relationships that would (should, at any rate)cause the writers of "Friends" to publicly apologize.
This is a lovely, warm, funny and realistic look at how the friendships and conflicts of youth, with all it's trimmings of burgeoning sex, drugs and the dreaded Proms, impacts all of our lives while retaining a sense of perspective-makes me wish I had paid more attention.
In his fifth book, Blake Nelson has proven himself a major voice among novelists-with his wonderful dialogue, rich characters and near perfect sense of humor, he will, in years to come, be among those favorite writers whose books one can never quite bring oneself to donate.
It's so refreshing to read a YA book that doesn't patronize or sermonize but leaves the reader with a great big smile and a sense of communion with the awkward and important issues of maturity. Nice going, Blake. Thank you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING!!!!!, May 11, 2006

By 

Suzy Sunshine (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prom Anonymous (Hardcover)

This book details three best friends' very different experiences with a landmark American high school event... the prom. Laura is pstched to go for the second time (her boyfriend of 14 months is a senior so she went last year). Jace is nervous/excited about finding a date and hoping to go with the cute, Californian, tennis-playing Paul. And Chloe... she got "convinced" by Jace and Laura to go to the prom. She's bringing a blind date. How will these three girls' experienes pan out? Read this TOTALLY AMAZINGLY SUPER-COOL book and you will find out!! Side note: This book was just so amazing that I read it in under 24 hours (while still putting in a full day of school)... that's how good it is. I'm so excited because Blake Nelson is coming to my school in FOUR days to talk about it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun and amusing story about the drama of going to the prom, March 16, 2006

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prom Anonymous (Hardcover)

Step One: Dates

Laura has a date for the prom, because she and her boyfriend have been together practically forever. Julia, aka Jace, thinks she might have a date for the prom, if she can ever get up the nerve to put a coherent sentence together in front of Paul, the hot new tennis player. Alternachick Chloe has no intention of going to the prom at all until Laura decides that not only will Chloe go to the prom, she will also pre-screen possible dates for Chloe.

Step Two: Prep

Everyone knows you can't just show up at your prom in any old thing. The dress has to be spectacular, and Laura is going to have that spectacular $349 dress even though she's not allowed to spend more than $200. Chloe emerges from a vintage dress shop as Audrey Hepburn. And Jace? Well, she'll worry about the dress when Paul commits to the prom one way or the other.

Step Three: Prom!

More and more, Laura has felt torn between her boyfriend and her oldest friends. Chloe hasn't even met her date (she did talk to him on the phone once), yet she's written 31 poems about him. Paul finally agrees to go with Jace, though he has some serious reservations --- and I'm not talking about the restaurant kind.

There's a lot of fun and fluff in this novel, but there's also a lot in the way of good friendships and sticking up for the people you care about. Romance and family conflict make this more than just a throwaway book, but it's not going to fry your brain either. Recommended for all promgoers, or for those who wouldn't go to their prom even if you paid them.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Webber