Wednesday, 29 August 2012

Polly Price's Totally Secret Diary: Reality Tv Nightmare by Dee Shulman (Children's, 9 years +, 10/10)



this edition June 2012, Double Day
138 pages, Paperback
Review copy

Themes: an unmotherly mother, radical thoughts, not being allowed to go to school, bullying, keeping secrets, unwanted camera attention, plans to escape from ghastly situations, a near drowning, the reality of those in the TV industry, hard work, unfair requests, an insane amount of embarassment & hilarity


Polly Price didn't think it was possible for her actress mother, Arabella Diamonte, to be any more embarrassing than on the trip to San Francisco last summer. That is until she agrees to take part in a television programme called Celebrity Home Watch and a camera crew arrives at their home to film. Her mother lacks volume control at the best of times, so this is truly a reality tv nightmare - with no escape for Polly!

Nayuleska's thoughts

This is book 1, but I've read it last. Oh. My. Word. It's a wonder that Polly is normal and sensible with the radical life her mother leads. Polly isn't cared for at all. Her mother is a self-centred, self-absorbed primadonna. She switches life styles based on what suits her, she puts her needs above Polly's (including skipping school), she's rude to those she deems unsignificant, and ends up on TV for all the wrong reasons. I felt so sorry for Polly, I really did. What she goes through is traumatic. She's definitely the real star of this 10/10 read, even of she does half drown.

You can find out more on Dee's website.

Suggested read

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