2. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
ISBN: 978-0-06-172891-4
HarperCollins, New York, 2010
389 p.

Plot Summary
Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small town Connecticut girl, dreaming of becoming a published author.  In The Carrie Diaries, Carrie is a high school senior as the decade changes from 1979 to 1980, living at home with her two sisters, Missy and Dorrit, and their father.  Although her mother passed away some years prior to the start of the novel, her memory is alive through Carrie’s independent spirit and feminist attitude.  As a student of Castlebury High, Carrie is a member of the swim team and navigates the halls along with her three best friends, Lali, Maggie, and the Mouse.  Not long into senior year, Carrie begins a relationship with Sebastian Kydd, the new guy in school who very quickly earns Carrie’s infatuation.  However, being in a relationship with Sebastian comes with its own drama as the popular girl in school, Donna LaDonna, aims to make Carrie’s life difficult for “stealing” Sebastian.  However, the relationship is ultimately put to the test when one of Carrie’s best friends gets involved.  Out of anger, Carrie takes to the school newspaper under a pseudonym to vent her frustrations.  When her column instantly becomes a hit across campus, Carrie’s confidence in her writing is restored, but it comes at a cost as some of the students recognize themselves in the stories and more drama is brought to the school.  Nevertheless, school is quickly coming to a close, leaving Carrie to question her future. 

Critical Evaluation
As a fan of the television show, I was a little wary about how successful The Carrie Diaries would be at portraying Carrie Bradshaw as a teenager.  Readers who are familiar with either the Sex and the City novel or the television show are able to identify connections between the teenage Carrie and the thirty-something Carrie.  For instance, her love of outrageous fashion is present throughout the novel, especially when her mother’s old purse is ruined with nail polish and Carrie uses her talents to make a fashion statement with it, emblazoning “Carrie” across the side.  The novel is told from Carrie’s point of view and her inner commentary is what ultimately won me over.  As Carrie deals with the inevitable high school drama amongst her friends and enemies, she handles most of it with humor and a bit of realism.  After all, she knows that high school is just a stepping-stone on her way to living and working in New York City.  Also, even though she identifies herself as a feminist, her blatant disregard of her own goals in favor of spending time with Sebastian will resonate with many teen girls.  When in that first real relationship and believing that they are head over heels in love, many teen girls will do anything to spend time with the object of their affection.  However, Carrie’s inner monologue begins to realize exactly what she is doing—skipping swim practices and putting off writing to be around him.  By allowing this dichotomy to exist within Carrie, Bushnell does a good job at making her relatable and ultimately letting her find her way toward becoming the Carrie that would rule Manhattan. 

Reader's Annotation
Before Carrie Bradshaw lived for Cosmopolitans and Jimmy Choos, she was a small town girl from Connecticut.  In her final year of high school, Carrie longs to become a writer, while attempting to balance love and life along the way.

Information About the Author
Bushnell (b. Dec. 1, 1958) grew up in Glastonbury, Ct, and moved to New York City at age 19. She attended Rice University and New York University, and began her professional career at 19 when she wrote a children’s book for Simon & Schuster. Throughout her twenties, Bushnell developed her trademark style as a freelancer, writing darkly humorous pieces about women, relationships and dating for Mademoiselle, Self Magazine, and Esquire. In 1990, she wrote a column that would become a precursor for Sex and the City, called The Human Cartoon, a fictional serial published in Hamptons Magazine. 

She began writing for the New York Observer in 1993; in November of 1994 she created the column Sex and the City, which ran in the New York Observer for two years. The column was bought as a book in 1995, and sold to HBO as a series in 1996. Bushnell hosted a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, called Sex, Success, and Sensibility, which aired from October 2006 to October 2008. She wrote and created a web series, The Broadroom, starring Jennie Garth, which launched in September 2009. In April 2010 she released The Carrie Diaries, the prequel to Sex and the City. The second book in this series is called Summer and the City and will be in bookstores in April 2011. She is currently at work on The Two Mrs. Stones, which will be in bookstores in April 2012. (Retrieved from author's website: http://www.candacebushnell.com/bio.html)

Genre
Young Adult - Chick Lit

Curriculum Ties
N/A

Booktalking Ideas 
1. Discuss Carrie's dream of becoming a writer.
2. Identify how Carrie's feminist beliefs take a back seat once she meets Sebastian.
3. Focus on the relationship between Carrie and her friends.

Reading Level/Interest Age
14+

Challenge Issues
Because the novel falls along the lines of many other young adult chick lit books, I do not anticipate there being any challenges.  

However, when confronted with complaints about this novel, librarians should become familiar with the material and its content.  Turn to reviews from publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as reviews from teens that have read it.  Also, it is beneficial for librarians to present reasons backed by the ALA in support of intellectual freedom.  As stated in the Library Bill of Rights:
I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Why Include Book in Selection? 
As a fan of the television series and the character of Carrie Bradshaw, I was interested in how the novel would explain her youth and its popularity ultimately got me to include it as one of the entries.