Popular Vote by Micol Ostow

Synopsis

Erin Bright is pretty, polished, and popular--the perfect First Daughter. Her father is the mayor of their town, so photo shoots and Inauguration balls are a part of her life. In high school, Erin is politically involved as well; her handsome boyfriend has been student council president for the past two years. But THIS election season, things change. When Erin suddenly gets passionate about an environmental cause, she decides to run AGAINST her boyfriend...and to challenge what her dad stands for! Can Erin convince her friends, and herself, that she has what it takes to lead?

Children's Literature

Erin Bright is the Mayor's daughter, girlfriend of the most popular boy in school, and an all-around happy girl. While helping her boyfriend, Logan, run unopposed for student council president (again), Erin learns that the school board wants to sell an empty plot of land adjacent to the school. Erin's literary idol wrote her most famous book while contemplating Everett Field, and now Erin is determined to save it from becoming a gas station. When Logan dismisses Erin's concern, Erin decides that perhaps he should not be running unopposed after all. Erin's mother discourages Erin from running, afraid she will lose her perfect boyfriend in the process, but Erin's father is supportive of her endeavor. After declaring her intent to run and her position on Everett Field, Logan stops speaking to her, and things only get worse when she discovers the intended purchaser of Everett Field is a corporation that has generously contributed to her father's reelection campaign. The nice thing about this novel is that is not as predictable as the usual young adult girl-rebels-against-family novel. While everything does not turn out quite the way Erin plans, the ride turns out to be pretty interesting, with some unexpected turns at the end. With likeable, believable characters, this novel has plenty of appeal for teen readers. This is a good addition to Young Adult collections and a great novel for teachers to use when discussing democracy and the ability of one person to make a change. Reviewer: Sharon Oliver