The Look

by Sophia Bennett Narrated by Helen McAlpine

Overview

Can she be a supermodel and a super-sister? She finds her answer in just one look. Two sisters, both beautiful in different ways: Fifteen-year-old Ted has got "The Look." That's what the scout for the modeling agency tells her, and she can't believe her luck. But just as Ted's jet-setting off on her new career, Ava is diagnosed with cancer. Can Ted be a supermodel and a super-sister? Or will she have to choose between family and fame? With their worlds turned upside down, the girls have to look past appearances, look deep inside, to figure out what really matters.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Bennett follows Sequins, Secrets, and Silver Linings with another novel set at the center of London's fashion world. Sisters Ava, 17, and Ted, 15, are opposites: Ava is a confident Elizabeth Taylor lookalike, while lanky, introspective Ted feels uncertain in her own skin. Their lives change drastically when Ava begins brutal treatments for lymphoma and Ted is recruited by a scout for Model City. With Ava's fervent encouragement—and in hopes of making back some of the money the family lost when the girls' father became unemployed—Ted reluctantly becomes a model. When she shaves her head to support Ava, it's viewed as a fashion statement, and her career skyrockets. Bennett insightfully conveys Ted's ambivalence about modeling, while creating an honest portrayal of the business. Ava's story line, as she becomes distant from her boyfriend and endures chemotherapy, is less substantive, but the novel's core is in the solid bond between the siblings and the ways each girl takes a piece of the other with her as she navigates new and frightening territory. Ages 12–up. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Praise for THE LOOK"Through the eyes of its fierce and hilarious heroine, Ted, The Look takes reades behind the scenes of the modeling world. Poignant and funny, this is a story about what really makes us beautiful." — Donna Cooner, author of SKINNY"A perfect narrative voice. The plot has you laughing one moment and crying the next. Bennett writes about what really matters to teens with zest, warmth, and sympathy." — THE LONDON TIMES"A bittersweet take on family, love, looks, and what's really important." — THE BOOKSELLER UK

School Library Journal - Audio

Gr 7–10—Ted, 15, is the younger of two sisters and, in her mind, the plainer one. On a walk with her sister Ava in London, a rep for a modeling agency spots Ted and encourages her to work for his firm. Ted is flabbergasted and can't understand why he chose her over Ava. She dismisses the offer for a variety of reasons, including her low self-esteem. Not long afterwards, Ava is diagnosed with cancer and the girls' world is turned upside down. As a way of living vicariously, Ava encourages Ted to try out for the job. Ted succeeds and is thrust into the spotlight. When word gets out at school that she's modeling, she becomes the butt of jokes and ridicule. When Ted is "discovered" by a New York agent and is promised the stature of supermodel and all that goes with it, she flies to New York for a shoot where her reservations about her new career come to a head and she's forced to make a decision. While modeling is the backdrop of the story, Bennett's novel is really a coming-of-age story. Ted and Ava as well as the minor characters are well drawn. The flawless performance by narrator Helen McAlpine allows listeners to get into the minds of Ted and Ava. This audiobook will resonate with teenage girls struggling with finding their place in the world.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Kirkus Reviews

Two sisters face vastly different futures--one as the world's next top supermodel, the other as a lymphoma patient. Ted (short for Edwina), 15, feels awkward and plain next to stylish Ava, 17, with her gorgeous looks and hot surfer boyfriend. Each resents having to share a bedroom in the cramped apartment the family now occupies, thanks to their father's job loss. Everyone's surprised when Ted, not Ava, draws attention from a modeling scout. The same night, Ava's swollen glands draw her parents' attention. Soon, Ted's enjoying a major makeover and tons of attention, including from the intriguing artist son of a London modeling maven, while Ava struggles with chemo-induced nausea and hair loss. Ted narrates with humorous insight, though her incredulity that others find her attractive quickly palls. Ava's a more harmful stereotype: Cancer transforms her from bitch-in-training to selfless angel, though her touching determination to remain in control--both liability and asset--is skillfully portrayed. So too are Ted's evolving feelings about their relative fortunes and her view of the high-fashion world. Marketing-driven high concepts can shape stories into lifeless, literary topiary, but this one's less gimmicky than advertised. However, readers should know this is Ted's story; Ava's cancer is seen through her eyes. A good bet for readers with a taste for glam fashion and boldface names. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169418484
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/01/2013
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

From THE LOOKMassive sideburns. Bushy beard. Unusually large eyebrows. He has more facial hair than I would have thought possible. But underneath it all, he looks as if he might be quite young."Hello," he calls across to us. "Are you here for the shoot?"And the strange thing is, he says it to me, not my sister."I'm Seb," he says. "I'm the, uh . . . photographer." He looks around, at the lights, the cables, the screens and reflectors, the laptop, me. "I'm going to be, uh . . . shooting you today.""Great!" I say brightly. If everything goes at this speed, this shoot is going to take a LONG time.He smiles. His teeth look bizarre poking through all that beard, but it's a friendly smile."Actually," Ava says, looking pale and woozy suddenly, "I think I might sit down.""Ava" — I bite my lip — "Are you OK?'

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