Shapiro, Laurie Gwen. Brand x; the boyfriend account.

SHAPIRO, Laurie Gwen. Brand x; the boy, friend account. Random House, Delacorte. 176p. c2006. 0-385-73288-0. $15.95. JS

Jordie Popkin is a junior who reluctantly attends a prestigious public math-science high school in New York City because her parents can't afford a private school. She is pressured by her mother to pursue an academically impressive internship but instead takes an unusual internship with a small ad agency because she senses she is artistic, not a scientist--unlike her sister who excelled at the same high school and who now studies dung beetles at Columbia. Jordie thus now spends her afternoons with an odd group of "creatives," who, when not designing the next most effective Happy-Meal type tie in, take an interest in Jordie's non-existent love life. They plan a strategy for her to achieve romantic success with her high school's resident stud, who, Jordie admits, may not have the same status at a different high school. Their advice includes the close supervision of the purchase of a push-up bra and low-cut top, which works well beyond Jordie's imaginings. The boy she has set her sights on is, of course, the wrong boy but, luckily, she attracts the right boy at the same time while learning to stand up for herself, develop her originality, and overcome a sense of sibling rivalry.

This novel strives for a light comic tone and sometimes achieves it. The plot is slow to get started; too many characters are introduced all at once, and the format is a bit puzzling. Nevertheless, teenage girls will be entertained and, no doubt, benefit from its lessons. Myrna Marler, Assoc. Prof. of English, 8YU, Provo, UT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.