The Nannies

September 1, 2005
Gr 9 Up -Three very different teens meet and become friends in this enjoyable read. Kiley McCann dreams of attending school in California to become a marine biologist, but the cost is prohibitive. A possible solution comes in the form of a reality TV show called -Platinum Nanny, - a competition to choose the caretaker of a rock star's children. Lydia Chandler's parents renounced their wealthy lifestyle to practice medicine in the Amazon basin. Longing for civilization, Lydia is thrilled when she is offered the opportunity to be a nanny for her aunt in Beverly Hills. Esme Castaneda grew up surrounded by gangs and violence in Echo Park, CA. Her immigrant parents work for the wealthy Goldhagens, a couple who have recently adopted twin girls from Colombia. They are quick to offer Esme the position of looking after the girls upon hearing her speak to them in their native language. The teens meet at the Brentwood Country Club and become friends. Less mean-spirited than the -Gossip Girls, - the story has elements that most teenage girls can relate to. Kiley, with an alcoholic father and a mother who is prone to panic attacks, is forced to be self-sufficient; Lydia is uninhibited and outspoken thanks to her years away from civilization; and Esme is torn between a life she knows and one of opportunity -but opportunity comes at a price. Underage drinking and talk about sex make the novel most appropriate for an older audience, but the cover will most likely attract younger readers." -Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2005
The nanny's story has been popular since Jane Eyre. This novel gives it a chick lit veneer and manages to rise above the genre's constraints. Three California girls do the nanny thing. Kiley is a contestant on the reality show " Platinum Nanny" ; Lydia escapes the Amazon rain forest, where her parents work, when her lesbian aunt asks her to care for her kids in Bel Air; and Esme, who comes from east L.A., is offered a job in a Beverly Hills home because she can speak Spanish to the recently adopted orphans from Colombia. This is mostly froth, but it is well written (though with some foul language), and it makes a decent stab at some social issues, such as the effect Esme's new life has on her relationship with her friends and family. For more nanny adventures direct readers to Melissa de la Cruz's series about au pairs. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2006
Kiley wants out of her backward Wisconsin town, Lydia wants out of Amazonia and into civilization, Esme doesn't want to leave the barrio. All three end up nannying for different families in Beverly Hills and forming a tenuous friendship. Like other novels of this genre, the premise is a bit preposterous, but the execution will likely grab readers.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)