Book Review: Catwalk: Strike a Pose by Deborah Gregory

Catwalk: Strike a Pose
by Deborah Gregory
Catwalk

Delacorte Press for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-385-73458-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73458-5
Publication Date: September, 2009
List Price: $8.99

Review: Fashion, fun, and friends. If you love all these things, then Catwalk: Strike a Pose is the book for you! This is the second book in a sort of series by Deborah Gregory. The first book is called Catwalk. Pashmina Purrstein and her best buds go to a school for the fun and the fashionable.

Pashmina and her BFFS Aphro, Felinez, and Angora go to Fashion International, a high ranking high school for learning….about clothes?! Pashmina has hazel eyes, a pushed-in nose, and golden-auburn hair (she looks like her cat, Fabbie Tabby!). There is a huge competition called Catwalk that the school holds every year where competitors try to get nominated for their own “House of _______”. The five Houses, or the ‘fabbie five’, are Pash, Willi Ninja Jr., Anna Rex, Moet Major(After Chandelier Spinelli was disqualified), and Shalimar Jackson. This year, if the House of Pashmina wins the competition, they get an awesome trip to Firenze, Italy to shop and meet some great designers! Also, the winning team will star on a TV show. Pash is super excited and wants to get the most votes at the Catwalk competition for her purrfect designs, and also wants to beat Shalimar, her enemy at Fashion International. But wait… a twist? In Catwalk, Pashmina’s super cool teacher, Miss Lynx announces that there will be a film crew filming their every move… including meetings for the Houses, and arguments. Will Pashmina keep her cattitude? Or will she lose it in front of the camera, and her friends? In a subplot, Pash and Aphro try to get jobs. Aphro tells Laretha Jones, the African American owner of a new boutique in town that if she succeeds in the Catwalk competition, she will open a store called Aphro Puffs. Pashmina trys to take back the spotlight by telling Laretha that she will open a store called Purr Unlimited, as in unlimited sizes. But when Laretha immediately takes to Aphro and hires her, Pashmina is left in the dust as she trys to regain her dignity. Also, a member of her House, Nole Canoli, is getting on her nerves. Can she stay mellow or will she be embarrassed by her act? It’s up to Pashmina now to save her House’s chance of winning the Catwalk competition and winning a trip to Italy.

This book had some great fashion fun! I loved the way the author used catchy cat-related phrases like cattitude, purrfect, and meowch! Since I have cats, I really liked how she did that. Also, I liked how this book had some really great friends and how the author intertwined their lives very closely. If I could give this book any number out of 5 stars, I would totally give it 4. I definitely liked Pashmina’s personality! I thought she had some major attitude, but the good kind. Also, I liked the many people in the book, and they had some pretty interesting names such as Shalimar, Bobby Beat (House of Pashmina’s awesome makeup artist), Ice Tres, and Chandelier! I also loved how the author managed to keep you in suspense, even though usually book about fashion don’t use suspense. When I went to sleep every night, I couldn’t stop thinking ‘Is Pashmina going to win the competition? Will she go to Firenze?’ However, I was disappointed in how the author wrote the ending. There was merely a conglomeration of various blogs in her book, written by different people. Nonetheless, the exciting scenes when something big happens and the author makes you feel like you were there, but the author merely put it in a blog instead of making you a part of the action. All in all, I would definitely give this book 4 out of 5 stars. Make Catwal k a must read on your booklist!

Deborah Gregory has written a few books, including the Catwalk books and the 4 Cheetah Girls volumes. She earned an AAS from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Review written by Emily (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Catwalk: Strike a Pose for this review.

Have you read Catwalk: Strike a Pose? How would you rate it?