Airhead (Airhead Series #1) by Meg Cabot

From the Publisher

EM WATTS IS GONE.

Emerson Watts didn't even want to go to the new SoHo Stark Megastore grand opening. But someone needed to look out for her sister, Frida, whose crush, British heartthrob Gabriel Luna, would be singing and signing autographs there-along with the newly appointed Face of Stark, teen supermodel sensation Nikki Howard.

How was Em to know that disaster would strike, changing her-and life as she'd known it-forever? One bizarre accident later, and Em Watts, always the tomboy, never the party princess, is no longer herself. Literally.

Now getting her best friend, Christopher, to notice that she's actually a girl is the least of Em's problems.

But what Em's pretty sure she'll never be able to accept might just turn out to be the one thing that's going to make her dream come true . . . .

NIKKI HOWARD IS HERE TO STAY.

Publishers Weekly

Cabot (the Princess Diaries series) dishes up all the story ingredients her fans have come to know and love—romance, humor, believable teen dialogue and even a fantastical twist. This last bit requires a major suspension of disbelief, but willing readers will love it. Emerson Watts, 16, likes living in New York City's SoHo neighborhood, but she can't tolerate most of the students at her private high school. She and her best friend (and secret crush), Christopher, escape their outcast status by immersing themselves in online video games. But Emerson's bland world shatters when she attends the opening of a new Stark Megastore and suffers a terrible accident. She wakes up in the hospital one month later in someone else's body—and not just anyone else's, but that of superhot teen model Nikki Howard. Cabot's portrayal of Emerson is brilliant. She's a too-cool-for-school independent chick, but she doesn't grow annoying, because the author makes it clear her sarcasm stems from not fitting in. Once she's Nikki Howard, however, she has to rethink her positions on the social order. Pure fun, this first series installment will leave readers clamoring for the next. Ages 12—up. (June)

Children's Literature

AGERANGE: Ages 12 up.

Emerson (Em) Watts hates the superficial world of cheerleading, modeling and size zero bodies. When a media megastore opens where a local family grocer used to be, the town boycotts the opening. Despite the boycott, Em's sister, Frida, insists on going to the megastore's opening because teen celebrities Gabriel Luna and Nikki Howard are scheduled to appear there. At the opening, boycotters sneak in with paintball guns and aim their fire at the plasma TVs hanging throughout the store. As Frida approaches Nikki Howard for an autograph, a protester shoots his gun at a screen directly above her head, causing the large TV to come loose from the wires holding it in place. Seeing her sister in danger, Em lunges forward. She pushes her sister to safety just as the last wire breaks, sending the TV crashing down on top of Em. Weeks later, Em wakes up from the accident. She is still in the hospital and begins to realize that something is strangely different about her voice and her body. When visitors keep mistaking her for Nikki Howard, she finally discovers that she has had her brain transplanted into the body of the famous model, who coincidentally died of a brain aneurysm at the same moment as the TV fell. Problems arise as Em tries to cope with her own death and struggles to learn how to be her new identity, Nikki Howard, a girl who is all that Em dislikes. While the plot is unique and interesting, its far-fetched nature keeps the reader at a distance. Additionally, Em's voice is unbelievable, and her emotional development does not match the intensity of her experiences, which prevents the reader from connecting with Em. Reviewer: Melissa Joy Adams

KLIATT

Em Watts is the ultimate tomboy: she loves most things girls hate. She's addicted to video games, as well as to her fellow video-game pal, Christopher—but refuses to reveal her crush on him because it would qualify as girly behavior. Before she can tell Christopher how she feels, however, a freak accident changes her—physically. The next thing she knows, Britain's most popular vocal artist is singing her awake. Soaking in his sultry voice proves easier than accepting the fact that she has woken up in a super model's body. Em realizes that fitting in with the crowd will no longer be a challenge, but she still wants to get to the bottom of what happened. The plot thickens with both hilarious situations and awkward encounters: Em fakes amnesia since she doesn't know what to do at a photo shoot; she runs from vicious fourth-grade girls who attack her for her autograph; and she realizes that the famous super model's laptop is bugged. YA readers will enjoy the witty, conversational dialogue as well as the encouragement to not take everything too seriously. From the author who penned the world-renowned The Princess Diaries volumes, here comes the start of another series. Reviewer: Asleigh Larsen

School Library Journal

Gr 7-9

Cabot delivers yet another fun and frothy piece of escapism in this far-fetched but rousing roller-coaster ride of a novel. The plot centers on a freak accident at the new Stark Megastore. Emma Watts has a huge plasma TV land on her just as Nikki Howard, supermodel and the Face of Stark, enters the store and suffers a brain aneurism. Stark, determined to keep their moneymaking "face" alive, embarks on a risky venture that they have been doing for years, unbeknownst to anyone else. Now Emma's brain is in Nikki's body and her life will never be the same. If Emma tells anyone, her family will be slapped with millions in medical bills. Cabot pulls readers in and makes them care about Emma, her family, her best friend, and her secret crush. No one in the cast is completely fleshed out but there is some character development. This book is sure to fly off the shelves and leave readers breathlessly awaiting the promised sequel.-Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI

Kirkus Reviews

Unlike her starry-eyed sister, down-to-earth Em Watts isn't thrilled to be at Stark Megastore's star-studded opening, especially since her best friend and secret crush, Christopher, can't stop drooling over teen modeling sensation and Stark representative, Nikki Howard. Just as Em wonders how Nikki can captivate people so, she suffers an accident that sends her to a Manhattan hospital with life-altering injuries that intimately intertwine both women forever-her brain has been surgically transplanted into Nikki's body. This bizarre new relationship with Nikki forces Em, a self-identifying feminist, to reevaluate her life views and slowly to accept Nikki as more than just an airhead. Although quick to set up the accident and its repercussions, the text slows down to an even pace, introducing many juicy issues to be explored in the upcoming sequel, especially with respect to nefarious corporate activities. Although it relies on a somewhat far-fetched premise, the text's abundant references to current pop culture and Em's witty character keep this read both grounded and fun. (Fiction. YA)

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