The Daughters
Joanna Philbin
Read by Michal Friedman

Hachette Audio; Unabridged edition
May 1, 2010 / ISBN: 160788299X
Tweeners/Young Adult Fiction / Ages 11 and up / Audio CD - 7 CDs, 8 hours playing time
Amazon

Reviewed by Beverly J. Rowe

Joanna Philbin certainly knows what it's like to be the daughter of a celebrity. In this story of three teen-aged girls in New York, she shows the relationships between the girls and their famous parents, and among the girls themselves.

Lizzie, Carina, and Hudson are fiercely loyal 14-year-olds, and they have a lot in common including wealthy, celebrity parents. The characters are well drawn and easily visualized. They grow and come into their own as the story progresses. Carina is the sole heir to Metronome Media, daughter of billionaire Karl Jurgensen. She is not interested in the social scene at all. Hudson is the daughter of pop icon Holla Jones...she is on the brink of her own music breakthrough.

This story focuses on Lizzie, whose mother is the famous model Katia Summers. Lizzie, unlike her beautiful mother, has a large nose and frizzy hair. She is frequently forced to pose with her mother, and feels very awkward and ugly. But then the famous "ugly-model" photographer Andrea, who is looking for the "new pretty," asks Lizzie to pose due to her unique, real-life look, Lizzie goes for it, and begins to recognize her own unique beauty, and then even begins a relationship with a boy she thought was out of her league.

Read by the talented Michal Friedman, this audio book is the first installment of an exciting new series by the daughter of Regis Philbin. Teens who enjoy keeping up with the social trends of the rich and famous will love this positive series and will look forward to the next installment, The Daughters Break the Rules, No 2.

Reviewer's Note: The Daughters Take the Stage [Book 3]