Emily Costello

This was an okay book, but it never really got exciting for me. There were so many side-stories, with Chewy and his leg, and the squirrel, and the swans and Rufus falling in the lake, that it felt like the main story of the neglected pony just wasn't developed enough. I didn't get to get attached to the pony, we didn't really see Stella and Josie take care of it, it was all a very very sudden attachment. Also, Stella is constantly at her aunt's veterinary clinic but doesn't know that antifreeze is poisonous to animals? I thought everyone knew that.… (more)

Reviewed by Mechele R. Dillard for TeensReadToo.com

Six housemates are sharing a condo on a ski slope in Vermont. They have never met before this ski season, so conflicts of personalities are bound to be a problem and, yes, this includes the mandatory lust/love frustrations, which begin to stir even before the central character, Eliot, makes it to the first meeting of this coed household.

Eliot is a rampant blogger, focusing on himself and his life. Ultimately, then, he blogs about anyone and everyone with whom he comes in contact, i.e. his housemates. Most of the gang is cool with it, but not the mysterious Chad, whose angry outbursts about the blog heighten the mistrust and tension in the condo. Jenny is pretty, and it seems that she doesn't have a lot of motivation to build upon skills that do not involve her physical attributes. Isis is a snowboarder, and she takes the sport extremely seriously, to the point that being friends with a skier like housemate Eliot may be impossible. Dolce is from Brazil, and is determined to show her boyfriend that she can make it on her own in a new country--thrive, even. Last but not least is Frank, the peacemaker of the bunch. Frank does his best to keep all of these different personalities from clashing, which is good, because if they are going to make it through their intended three-month stay, they certainly are going to need a referee.

This lighthearted romp through the snow is written from the point of view of all the characters, with each chapter starting in a new voice. While the majority of the work is written in traditional prose form, it is broken up with some of the story being told through instant messages, some through email, and, of course, the reader gets to peek at Eliot's blogs, to see what is causing all the fuss on the slopes.

On the plus side, it is a fun book, and I think adolescents will enjoy their time on the slopes with these characters. On the minus side, it is a stereotypical book with a forced "mystery/lesson" that ultimately doesn't resolve itself in a way that makes all the pieces suddenly pop together and make sense. Overall, however, it will get kids reading, and reluctant readers will enjoy the way the pace is broken up by the IMs, emails, and blogs.… (more)