WELCOME, CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE
by Shelley Coriell
In an upbeat, by-the-book romance, a popular girl shunned by her two best friends finds a home among the misfits at the school's radio station.
Just after Chloe's best friends stop speaking to her, A. Lundgren, guidance counselor, calls loud, big-hearted Chloe into her office to discuss her JISP—junior independent study project. A combination of mishaps and negligence on Chloe's part leads Lundgren to assign Chloe a JISP topic. Chloe finds herself in a portable classroom with shy freshmen Frick and Frack, hostile Clementine, music-obsessed Taysom, pregnant Haley and unexpectedly cute Duncan. Her mission: promote the school's underfunded radio station or fail junior year. Using marketing skills learned from her work at Dos Hermanas Mexican Cantina and her natural gift for gab, Chloe turns the radio station around by hosting a call-in advice show. The story hits a few false notes: The rumors Brie spreads are particularly vicious but evaporate quickly; the radio show takes off a bit too suddenly to be believed; and could one teenager really own that many pairs of glam vintage shoes? But the lighthearted tone, familiar plot and occasional poignant moments between Chloe and her similarly headstrong grandmother will carry readers through.
Formulaic fluff with a winning personality. (Fiction. 12 & up)