Confessions of a Teen Nanny

Victoria Ashton

Book 1 of Confessions of a Teen Nanny

Language: English

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: Jul 1, 2005

Description:

Sixteen-year-old Adrienne Lewis is in charge of eight-year-old Emma Warner, the youngest member of the snooty Warner family. Emma is an evil genius who has gotten all five previous nannies fired -- and she's the good news. Because then there's Emma's half brother, Graydon, who goes to college -- yet always seems to be lurking around waiting to hit on Adrienne. But worst of all is Emma's beautiful seventeen-year-old half sister, Cameron, whose reputation as a wild girl, a liar, and a user is known to everyone . . . everyone, that is, except Adrienne.

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From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up -Adrienne is hired as a nanny to Emma Warner, a precocious child from an ultra-rich New York family. Using lies, bribery, and blackmail, the eight-year-old tests Adrienne, but the teen manages to keep the upper hand with her charge-most of the time. The same is not true of Adrienne's relationship with Emma's sister, Cam, who is Adrienne's age. Using the same bag of tricks, she has Adrienne believing that they are friends. What Cam offers would be hard for any teen to resist-free designer clothes, invitations to fabulous parties, flying on a private jet, staying in a mansion. But all that glitters is not gold. Soon she forces Adrienne to arrange clandestine parties where out-of-control rich kids partake of sex, alcohol, and drugs. Then Adrienne is drugged and photographed in compromising situations. Worst of all, she is blamed for jewels stolen at a party. The book ends rather abruptly, with a simple explanation for the stolen jewelry, revealed in one sentence. Whether or not Adrienne wins back the boyfriend Cam attempts to steal is left dangling, as if to pave the way for a sequel. But neither of these shortcomings detracts seriously from the enjoyment of the book. Fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" series or Zoey Dean's "The A-List" series (both Little, Brown) will like this offering.-Catherine Ensley, Latah County Free Library District, Moscow, ID
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From Booklist

The nanny's story has been popular since Jane Eyre. This book give it a chick lit veneer.The flap copy says Ashton is a debutante "who divides her time between New York City, the Hamptons, and Europe." Apparently, she still had time to pen this novel in which Liz gets her friend Adrienne a job in the same Fifth Avenue building where she works. Adrienne's charge is Emma, an eight-year-old malevolent genius who takes a liking to Adrienne. But Emma's half-sister, 17-year-old Cameron, takes a liking to Adrienne's boyfriend. It's all fancy apartments, fancy labels, and backstabbing, and stereotypes, but readers who want the chick lit experience (with no frills in the writing) will find it here.

Ilene Cooper
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