A behind-the-scenes look at the high octane life of a teen superstar as fame goes to her head, spoils her behaviour and brings about the collapse of her career. Paloma needs to lean some home truths and someone else must step into take her place. Girls like Paloma Rose and Oona would never normally speak to one another but suddenly their lives cross over. Dyan Sheldon captures brattish behaviour perfectly as she wittily charts the highs and lows of stardom.
The Prince and the Pauper meets Trading Places, but with modern teenagers and Dyan Sheldon's unique deadpan humour!
Paloma Rose is 16 years old and the star of one of the most popular TV shows ever. She has millions of fans and is the face of a hugely successful merchandising empire. But having had too much too young, Paloma is growing into a notorious brat and beginning to behave really badly: inappropriate boyfriends, drunken incidents, suggestive photos on the internet. The resulting bad publicity could mean the end of the show and with that the end of the lavish lifestyles her family - and her agent - have grown accustomed to. Then her agent bumps into 16 year old Oona Giness in a coffee shop and, struck by the resemblance, decides to switch Oona for Paloma and trick the wayward brat into going off to a boot camp in the desert which he hopes will sort her out. Oona, who lives with her depressed dad in a run-down apartment block, agrees to the deal in the hope that it'll turn her life around. She quickly discovers that Hollywood is not for her, but Hollywood much prefers the new Paloma to the old one! And when Paloma finds out she's been tricked, she breaks out of the camp and heads for home - and revenge.
Dyan Sheldon is a popular and highly respected author of books for teens and pre-teens as well as a number of stories for younger readers. American by birth, Dyan lives in London, NW1. www.dyansheldon.co.uk
