All-American Girl

Title: All-American Girl
Author: Meg Cabot
ISBN: 0-06-029469-8

Samantha Madison had a somewhat normal life. That is until she saved the life of the president of the United States. It really all started when her sister, Lucy, told her parents about her celebrity drawings. The portraits started when she drew her best friend Catherine, a portrait of her with her favorite celebrity, Heath Ledger. When other people found out about the drawings, they wanted one done too. Soon, even the popular girls were asking her for portraits. For them, however, she charged a fee for her work since they had always been mean and rude to her. Everything was going fine until Lucy found them and showed them to her parents. Her mom got furious since she had been doing the portraits instead of studying during German class. Her mom came up with her punishment which was art classes twice a week. For, Samantha, this was torture since she is a rebel and doesn't want to be told how to do something she is perfectly good at without any kind of lessons.
Really, Samantha isn't your typical teenage girl. She dyed her entire wardrobe black since she believes fashion trends are for phonies like her sister, who is one of the most popular girls at John Adams Preparatory School and is also a cheerleader.
Well since she had to, Samantha went to the art class and was completely humiliated in front of everyone, including a cute guy, David who had complimented her combat boots. Samantha refused to go to the next class so instead she secretly went to the record store next to the art studio and listened to music. When it was about time for her maid, Theresa, to pick her up, Samantha went out of the store and saw the president's motorcade stop right in front of her. She then saw the president get out of his limo and walk right into Capitol Cookies like he does it everyday! Samantha had seen motorcades like this all the time since she lived in Washington D.C but she had never seen him so close. Who came outside along with Samantha, howevern, was a very suspicious looking man who was waiting on the sidewalk next to her and fumbling with something beneath his coat. She then saw what he had been doing under his coat. He pulled out a huge gun and pointed it straight at the Capitol Cookies door, just as the president was walking out. The next thing she knew, Samantha had jumped.
After that, everything was a complete blur for Samantha. She had now become a national hero for jumping on the would-be assasin. Jumping had threw off his aim, sending the bullet somewhere up in the sky, and saving the president. What she also found out was that the reason the president was around that area in the first place was to pick up his son David, who went to that same art class. She also later finds out that the president's son actually might be in love with her!

I thought this was an amazing book. Meg Cabot always writes really fun, interesting books so I really loved this. You really get to know Samantha, her family, and friends so people can really relate to her. What I love about this book as well as other books by Meg Cabot is that they have such crazy, impossible situations (such as a girl saving the life of a president) but are still relatable. I think other girls will love this book since it's really funny and entertaining.

Cabot, Meg. All-American Girl. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2002.

-posted by Nicole Eggerman