And Here's to You, Mr. President

All-American Girl

by Meg Cabot

I feel like I’m a little late to the Meg Cabot party. I’ve read several of the Princess Diaries books (love ‘em!), but nothing else from this lovely author. When the spring semester ended a few weeks ago, I was desperately in need of some fun and light reading. I grabbed a copy of All-American Girl from the library for a trip to D.C. and it was just the book I needed to kick off my (slightly) slower-paced summer!

Summary

Samantha Madison, a high school sophomore at a private school in Washington, D.C., seems like your average, tortured-artist type teenager. She wears all black and shuns any type of conformity or popular teenage stereotypes. Samantha is also an artist, and one day after an art class (which she was forced to take because her parents thought she needed an outlet for her creative energy), she unwittingly throws herself into the national spotlight when saves the President from a would-be assassin standing on the street corner next to her.

Suddenly, everyone - from news reporters to the popular kids at school who never used to give her the time of day - wants to talk to her. While Samantha’s older sister, who happens to be a member of the popular crowd, loves the newfound celebrity, Samantha is more concerned with other issues: namely, how to convince her sister’s boyfriend, Luke, that he is with the wrong Madison girl. There’s also the issue of her confused and jumbled feelings about fellow art class student David, who just happens to be the President’s son.

Worth staying up past bedtime?

Rating: Early Morning Hours

I’ll be honest - I was worried this book would be a little too cheesy when I first picked it up. I am so glad I was wrong! Samantha is hilarious, and the book is peppered with her very entertaining “top ten” lists that relate to her current dilemmas and irritations. Cabot made the book fun and attention-grabbing, and found a good balance with the plot of saving the President’s life from being too over-the-top corny. I think Samantha was a relatable character, and I loved reading about a teen living in D.C. - I don’t think I’ve encountered too many characters in that city.

Happily recommended for ages 12 and up!