The Hollywood Sisters: Backstage Pass -- Mary Wilcox

Two weeks ago, Jessica Ortiz's family moved from Anaheim to Beverly Hills because her sister, Eva, landed a role on a sitcom.

Two Sisters was supposed to be all about two sisters.  You've been more surprised, I'm sure.  Then this neighbor chick (or should I say, chica?) shows up, and starts to steal the show.  There's a reason that the showbiz term is "steals the show" instead of "improves the show" or "saves the show from certain cancellation."  That reason is jealousy--Hollywood is awash in it.  The tide of jealousy is never out.

Not long after the move, unflattering and untrue stories about Eva begin popping up in the tabloids.  The person selling the stories must be someone on set -- but who?  Jess's main suspects are Southern Belle Lavender ("...left Georgia when she was eight, and her accent has been getting thicker ever since"), gorgeous Paige ("A former model, she loves fashion, but sometimes gets caught in the crossfire between stylists") and dreamboat boy-next-door (on the show, that is) Jeremy Jones.

As the back cover says, "Lights.  Camera.  Backstabbing."

Everything about the format (originally published as a trade paperback, shiny foil on the cover, the cover art itself, a statement on the back cover that says "The First Novel is the Hollywood Sisters series") screams Trashy Teen Series Novel.  Not usually my thing.  That said, I'm a little embarrassed about how much I enjoyed Backstage Pass.

It has the same super-rich glamour and some of the cattiness of the Lisi Harrison books. It's the perfect pick for a Clique-obsessed girl.  George Clooney and the Olsen twins make cameos, and there are thinly veiled references to Clay Aiken (Cal Anders) and Sofia Coppola (Sophie Cassala).

Like the Clique books, it's clean -- no Gossip Girl drinking or drugs or sex or big swearing -- I know some adult patrons who'll be happy about that.  I'll personally feel comfortable recommending it because it's decently written.  And because not only is Jess is smart and witty, but the book itself explores publicity and how it works -- and as a whole, is more thoughtful than that other, more well-known series.