Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter Book Review

Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter
(Disney, Hardcover, June 2009)
Rating:

Cammie's junior year hasn't even started and already she's been involved in a kidnapping plot. Macey, Cammie's Gallagher Academy friend, is the daughter of the vice presidential candidate and the target of the kidnapping. When it's time for school to start, Cammie can't concentrate on her studies and Macey is haunted by what happened. To make matters worse, it appears as if Macey is still being threatened so Cammie, Bex, and Liz join the campaign trail to help protect her. Can Cammie "The Chameleon" figure out who is behind the kidnapping in time to save her friend or are there some things too big for even a Gallagher Girl to handle?

I've always been a fan of spy movies and it's quite refreshing to see a series based around girl spies. Cammie is a sidewalk artist--she can blend in with any surrounding, hence the nickname "The Chameleon." Each of her friends have their own special talents and it's fun to what type of situation they will get into next. In this new novel in the series, we really see Cammie growing up, and the book starts to hint at more serious plots to come. Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover is particularly relevant this year since we just had a presidential election. Ally Carter shows us a different side of the political process, one that is fraught with threats and espionage. Filled with as much humor, friendship, romance, and Gallagher Academy lore as the previous books, Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover is sure to delight Gallagher Girl fans. Ally offers up classic Gallagher Girl humor and style in this latest installment.

Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover is the perfect book to bring on summer vacation since it releases in June. In the meantime, check out the first two books in the series, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You and Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy. Visit Ally's blog to learn more about Cammie and her friends. Aren't the covers and titles for this series so much fun? I seriously want to be a Gallagher Girl.

My Pity Party Was Thwarted...by Ally Carter!

So I was having a royally awful day yesterday.  For one, I couldn't participate in In My Mailbox because I didn't get a single book in the mail last week.  I was so psyched because I was finally going to participate (having finally remembered about it...), and then I realized that I got nada, zip, zero books.  Secondly, I hurt my knee playing soccer.  Nothing serious but I did have to ice it and it still hurts a little when I walk.  So, I was all ready to feel sorry for myself for the rest of the evening.

Then, I picked up Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover by Ally Carter.  I got an ARC awhile back and I had put it aside for a rainy day.  And the book was soooooo good that I couldn't stay in a bad mood.  Within 5 minutes, I was laughing and smiling and excitedly reading about Cammie and her amazing spy school.  I'll post a more complete review later this week.  All I have to say now is, gosh darn, Ally Carter, you ruined my pity party!  :)  

In the meantime, I'll leave you with Miss Erin's review of Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover and this ugly picture of my bruised knee, which looks like Bex has been practicing the Axley Manuever on it.

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter Book Review

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
(Hyperion, Paperback)
Rating:

Being a Bond Girl has it's advantages (namely, James Bond). But wouldn't it be way cooler to actually be a spy instead of just knowing one? Meet Cammie Morgan, spy-in-training. Cammie goes to the all-girls Gallagher Academy which has been producing spies since Abraham Lincoln's time. The girls at Gallagher learn every language in the world, take PhD physics classes, and learn serious kick-butt maneuvers in gym class. But does Cammie do when she meets a cute boy in town? Exactly what any Gallagher girl would do. She treats it like a Covert Ops mission. She wire taps his house, hacks into his email account, and even steals his trash (although, technically, trash left on the curb is public property).

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You is a thoroughly enjoying read. I couldn't stop laughing at Cammie and her friends. I loved how they turned a normal girl crush into a huge spy mission. The book is full of great spy-girl dialogue, like this scene where Cammie is sneaking out for a date with Josh:

"I pulled the tapestry aside and started to slip in, just as Bex said, 'Knock 'em dead!'. I was already inside when Liz yelled after me, 'But not literally!' "

The sequel, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, is as funny and entertaining as the first novel. Cross My Heart is all about what happens when the Gallagher girls have to team up with a bunch of guys from an all-boys spy academy. I just finished the 2nd book last night and thought to myself that it was a satisfying conclusion and the author could either leave it at two books or write another sequel. Then, a little while ago, I read on Ally's blog that she just started Book 3. I can't wait to read it! I only wish that she had just finished it instead of just started it. Check out Ally's website for some cool stuff including an application to attend Gallagher Academy.