Television Books

Amanda Bynes is my favorite actress. She rocks in this book. So does Penelope. Although, I wish there were more pictures of Amanda in it.

Hi. I had no idea that there was a book on Amanda but I found this on the web and ordered it. It's really phat! I brought it to school and spent the whole lunch hour doing the games with my friends. We were rolling. I hope there's another book on the way! Penelope is great and Jenny Kilgen must be an Amanda fanatic too to write a whole book togethre. GO AMANDA AND MORE BOOKS----PLEASE!

I love the show but this book was totally awesome. The games and puzzles are really fun but the best is getting all the great information on Amanda. Anyone who loves Amanda MUST get this book. It's like bringing the show with you where ever you go. I would definitely buy this for a great stocking stuffer for anyone who loves Nickelodeon and THE AMANDA SHOW.

i love Amanda! i've totally been looking everywhere to find a book on her. i read this book and think it is 'da bomb, so phat, and really cool!

Penelope Taynt amanda bynes's #1 fan tells the story of how she
has loved amanda since she was 1 second old.You will see how much
penelope loves amanda and how she should be amanda's best friend
to why amanda should eat lunch with penelope!Discover what it is like to film a episode of the amanda show to what is in amanda's
garbage to how penelope tries to break up amanda's friend ship
with a girl named Annie.
this book is soo funny and i hope you like it!!

Steve Turner has done a great service to Christians everywhere. In the first part of his carefully researched book, Turner gives us an excellent account of the life of John Newton, the author of the famous hymn "Amazing Grace." Here he covers much that is familiar, and at the same time corrects some common misconceptions.

The second half of the book traces the history of "Amazing Grace." It is fascinating to learn how the song's tune has developed and changed, how the verses of the song have evolved over time, and how the hymn has grown in popularity over the years. Not as enjoyable was learning how "Amazing Grace" has been reinterpreted since the 1970's to support the views of whatever unsaved person or group using it at the time. I am sure ol' John Newton would be spinning in his grave if he knew what our postmodern society has done with his marvelous hymn. Still, Turner's book should do nothing for the Christian but endear even more to "Amazing Grace" the song, and amazing grace the message.

I'm not sure why,but this book has a lot more to it than first meets the eye.Often books of this nature are of the 'edited 'type with very little effort put into them and while the concept is good ;usually filled with a bunch of fluff.But not this one.A great effort has gone into it and as a result we have an excellent work.
While he never gets away from his topic,Turner gives us an awful lot about the history of Newton and everyone associated with him,a thorough understanding of the slave trade,a good understanding of the various Protestant churches of the18th and 19th centuries .If that isn't enough, he has covered in minute detail the evolution of the hymn,it's meaning word by word,it's associated music and how it spread ,and by whom ,throughout it's 225 year history.
He has beautifully shown the deep religious and theological meaning the hymn has for those who understand it and have a faith in God.He has just as well explained how and why so many people love and get inspiration from the hymn even though they may have little in the way of faith or religious involvement.He does this without being judgemental in any way.
As to how Newton could be involved in the slave trade.."Slavery was as acceptable as abortion is today-it was legal,it had immediate and tangible benefits,and people predicted widespread calamity should it ever be banned.There was no social pressure for him to feel shame.Cities had been built on the fruits of slavery and the great merchants of slaves were celebrated,giving their names to buildings and streets.It was those who were opposed to slavery who were regarded as irritants-ememies of social stability,troublemakers,idealists with no concern for progress."
There is one thing I would like to add and that is..If there ever was a book that would have benefited from an included CD,this would have been it.

I love Steve Turner books, and I love the song Amazing Grace. What a combination!...a work of history that reads like a good mystery novel! I couldn't put it down until I'd read it from cover to cover. This book has everything...a great redemption story, both for the man, Newton--and his song, which didn't really take off until someone put the perfect tune with it a hundred years later. Turner manages to present the context of Newton's theology in a scholarly way that will be informative, but not off-putting to those who are not into reformed theology. The secular life of the song is fascinating...to see how this song was popularized, and now touches millions. To me this song has what we wan't all music to have...something that touches our insides in a way we can't describe, but we know that it makes our lives more complete. And the biggest surprise of the book?...Newton became a slave-trader AFTER his conversion, and only opposed slavery much later in life. Considering how slowly America has repented of it's historic racism, there may be a lesson for us all as we see the sanctification that occurred over time in Newton's life.

I sing and Amazing Grace is one of my favorite hymns. I'm also a nontheist. I'm pretty comfortable with those two seemingly incongruous facts, but I thought I'd read Steve Turner's book Amazing Grace to see if other folks like me had made it into the text. I'm also an Arlo Guthrie fan and I figured I'd do some fact checking on the version of John Newton's story Arlo tells when singing Amazing Grace in concert. Folks like me show up towards the end of the second part of the book and Turner indicates that Arlo is aware that his version is condensed and inaccurate.

The first part of Amazing Grace is the story of John Newton and how he came to write the words to what is now America's favorite hymn. I learned a lot of history, especially of the slave trade in the 1700's, while getting the non-Arlo, complicated version of Mr. Newton's life. The second part of the book follows the history of the hymn post-Newton. Turner has done his homework and I especially enjoyed learning about the history of the hymn in the 1800's, including how Amazing Grace picked up the tune we now sing it to.

I highly recommend Amazing Grace to fans of history, music, and, of course, the hymn Amazing Grace.

I just led a church service about "Amazing Grace," and Steve Turner's book served as my main resource. I read it cover to cover during the process, and found it highly intelligent and interesting, with far too many "tidbits" that I wanted to include in the service and couldn't! I encourage the reading of this book AS a "pleasure read," not just as research material.

I particularly appreciated the section on contemporary versions of "Amazing Grace" and its impact on the secular community. As a Unitarian Universalist, I was greatly cheered to find one of our ministers quoted on the impact of the hymn on those who don't necessarily believe in a divine presence.

The discography of AG recordings included as an appendix was also hugely valuable, as I compiled a CD of recorded versions as a "party favor" for my (small) congregation. Turner's correct when he says it's a "select" discography, but he got most of the really good ones!

This a really a great cook book and I have tried may recipes in it and they were all great, what is really great you can also watch how it is done when it is aired on TV.

This book is OUTSTANDING. America's Test Kitchen is like the Consumer Report's of recipes and cooking products. I enjoy learning WHY certain products and techniques work. They try and try until they get a particular recipe to be the best it can be. Then they share what they learned. The one disappointing aspect of this book is the Table of Contents and indexes. For example each "chapter" contains several recipes, but you have to go to the chapter in order to see what all the recipes are within that chapter. But the book is so very excellent that I can forgive this flaw.

I absolutely love ATK and buy all of their books. The techniques they present are top notch and as close to bulletproof as you can get. I find the spicing a little mild for my tastes so I usually amp that up a bit. Tasting results are the aggregated opinion of several people so some of the more unusual flavors you might get a kick out of may be rounded out in the math.

Even though I subscribe and have many Cook's Illustrated books this was worth the purchase. Yes, some of the info is repeated from other pubs but often tweaked a little and some new stuff also. A very good read, too!

I ordered the first volume of the series and was very pleased with my purchase. This is a fine addition to my cookbook collection.

This is a great book if you are a huge American Idol fan and you want to know behind-the-scenes stuff. There's a lot of info. about each of the contestants as well, from their favorite color to their birthday. My favorite AI% was Jessica Sierra.

But, I have one question: Where's the Season 5 book? :)

WHEN you read this book it will let you know what happend
behind the scencs of american idol! and you will also learn
more about the top 12.MY favorite idols are CARRIE UNDERWOOD
and LINDSEY CARDINLE they are fantastic singers.IF only
lindsey wasnt voted off so quickly! BUY THIS BOOK its AWESOME!

This book is pretty good. There are some bad things like since it was published and released before Carrie Underwood won, they don't show the winner like screaming, crying, being happy, blah, blah, blah. I watch the show every night and never missed an episode. The top 12 finalists are Lindsey Cardinale, Mikalah Gordon, Jessica Sierra, Nikko Smith, Nadia Turner, Anwar Robinson best!, Constantine Maroulis, Scott Savol, Anthony Federov, Vonzell Soloman, Bo Bice, and Carrie Underwood. They are in order in which they were eliminated from AI. The best is Anwar Robinson because he just sings great, looks great, never nervous, and so on. I think he should have been voted off near the end. Overall this book is awesome.

This book is a great book to get to know the Top 12 a little better. It has quick facts, pictures, and a bio of each of them. Plus some behind the scences stuff, never- before seen pics, and them shopping, etc. When I met the Top Ten (but not Bo), I had them sign their page, and it worked out great. I love it!

I thought it was a good book, had lots of good quality pictures in there. The only complaint I have with it is it came out too early. It should have come out after the season was done so they could have the last final weeks in there and the winner showing her happiness. That's the only complaint I have is it should have been published after the season was over with. Otherwise it was a good book.

It was a pleasure to read about another journalist's battle in succeeding in one of the most competitive field. If you want to know what a reporter has to go through, you'd want to read this one.

There can be few things more enriching, entertaining, and inspiring than merrily wending one's way through the fascinating memoirs of this legendary journalist. Ms. Ellerbee can now be seen on her marvelous news program for children on Nickelodeon, which is one of the greatest programs in the history of television. Ms. Ellerbee's thrilling story is sure to deeply touch all who read it, evoking both tears and laughter, often simultaneously. This is one of the greatest books in the history of the world, and should be on every required reading list in every institution of learning in the world.

There are some books that should never be resigned to the dustbin and this is one of them. The message is timeless and, despite the humor, frightening. Ms. Ellerbee's wisdom is needed more today than it was back in 1988.

Direct, honest, and brilliantly written, Ellerbee's masterwork gives the reader an inside look into the world of broadcast journalism. Her 80's program NBC News Overnight was a unique vehicle for intelligent reporting and videography. It was the last show of its kind on network news TV which, if anything, has gotten worse since the writing of this book. When Ellerbee's Nickelodeon children's programs are more intelligently written than most of the so called "adult" news programs on TV, that's scary. It is unfortunately the case.

I've probably read this book a dozen times from cover to dog-eared cover; my paperback copy is literally falling apart! I still open it sometimes just to read a couple of pages from the middle, and I'm always entertained by Ellerbee's wit.

Wit: a combination of rational intelligence and humour. Ellerbee displays both in abundance, and her writing style is pitch-perfect. She's worked in network news long enough to have seen all of it's strength and weaknesses, and long enough to have lived through one-too-many comical misadventures. Some of her anectodal experiences are downright hilarious:

Stealing Reagan's golf cart for a joyride. Spying on a button manufacturer from a rooftop across the street (to learn before the competing networks who'll be chosen vice president for a presidential campaign). Getting unintentionally stuck in the middle of a homecoming parade for the Iran hostages. Using dinner trays to "surf" down the aisle of a flying airplane. A rubber duck on the set. A "thing and a thing." And so it goes...

There are also some suprising revelations, such as Ellerbee's confession to a back-alley abortion, and her discovery that Ohio didn't become a state until 1954!

Read this book and be entertained... and simoultaneously enlightened about the field of broadcast journalism.

I tend to do things without paying as much attention as I should, like buying this book without researching it's details.

I bought the book because my 5 year old daugher loves to draw, and because she's nuts over the Lion King at the moment. I figured it would be great for her to see not just finished work (like what winds up on television) but to also see sketches, concept drawing and paintings, and the like.

So I bought it. When I received it and saw it's pocket size I was so happy! It's absolutely the perfect size for a little kiddo like her, but the content is professional, serious and mature as I had expected. It's hard cover, totally full of pictures, and has glossy pages printed on high-quality paper. Some folks might have been put off by the size but for my purposes it was more than perfect!

We have great fun looking through it together and looking at all the different styles of artwork. If you or your kid likes to draw or paint, and likes this movie, You'll really be sorry if you don't buy a copy. No I don't work for Disney or Amazon. I just like to encourage and support my childs love for art any chance I get, and boy was this a great addition to her library.

Apart from the fact that my copy was close to pocket size, i thought that this book was fantastic. Not only does it come filled with amazing concepts, it also is accompanied with the Lion King Storyline. As an illustrator and student animator, it is a wonderful addition to my resources. The sketches through to the complete full colour images are for any Lion King fan, artists or just someone wanting a beautiful coffee table book. If your from overseas like myself and cannot get these kind of books in Australia, i reccommend Amazon and their associate stores. Buy this, its great.

I received this book as a birthday present last month. To say the least, I was overwhelmed with all the artwork in this book. I love it! The artwork and production animation is breathtaking! It's a really awesome book, I'd get it if I were you! You can't go wrong with "The Art of The Lion King"!!!

This book is one of the most exquisite things to come out of The Lion King. The graphics are beautiful. Most of the pictures are ones that are used for the storyboard and layout scenes. I reccommend it to anyone who loves The Lion King, or just Disney in general. Order with confidence - the book is worth much more than its price tag. It is also much more convient than the larger, more expensive version which I believe is no longer being produced.

"The Lion King," Disney's 32nd animated film proved to be a smashing success, appealing to young, old, and those in between. As it filled movie houses, Disney mania swept the country again. The breathtaking visual effects that fascinated so many are brought to stunning life in "The Art of the Lion King" by Christopher Finch.

This lavish folio-size volume traces the creative process utilized in making the film, from black and white sketches to glorious full-color reproductions and even splendid fold-outs, one exhibiting the surreal beauty of the African natural world.

Actor James Earl Jones, the voice of Mufasa the Lion King in the film, contributes the foreword, while the text is by Christopher Finch, author of "The Art of Walt Disney."

Those fascinated by the art of animation and those touched by the story of Mufasa, Simba and Scar will treasure this color and fact filled memento.

- Gail Cooke

"As Seen On TV" is a fond look back at those Kitschy products and their even tackier commercials for products as diverse as the Chia Pet to K-Tel records. These products would make household names out of people like Ron Poeil, Billy Mays, and Susan Powter as they pushed products to enhance yourself, your cooking, or your home. These 50 products, most of which are still on the market today and still being seen on TV were the forerunners of the dreaded infomercial which made their way into our homes back in the 1984 when the FCC loosened regulations on TV advertising. You'll chuckle as you read about these products, many of which you probably haven't thought about in years.

The book is arranged by product type including Kitchen Marvels, Fashion and Beauty Wonders, Fabulous Fitness, Entertainment Breakthroughs, Home Improvement Miracles, and Get Rich Quick. A history of each products is provided along with details about its use, inventor, and other interesting facts as well as photos. Ron Popeil is certainly the godfather of these products who got the ball rolling with the Veg-O-Matic, actually invented by his father. Popeil's list of products is long and often notorious and includes things such as GLH Formula #9 spray for balding men, as well as the Pocket Fisherman. The book includes a lengthy interview with Popeil as well.

Other items in the Kitchen gadget category include the legendary Ginsu knives...and who doesn't fondly remember those commercials where they sawed through knives and aluminum cans? Then there is a modern classic as former boxer turned pitchman, George foreman introduced the grill bearing his name.

There's the Blue Blocker glasses, Hairagami, Thigh Master, Matthew lesko's books on free Government money, Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, The Clapper, and Life Call Alert in which Edith Fore uttered those words that would become grafted into American lexicon, "I've Fallen...AND I CAN'T GET UP!!!" But perhaps my all-time favorite for pure cheesiness would be Mr. Microphone. Who can forget the goof in the convertible telling the girl walking on the street, "Hey Good Lookin', We'll be back to pick you up later!" It was the epitome of tackiness back then and would probably get him arrested today.

Oh...and the book is informative as well. I never knew that the K-Tel in K-Tel records stood for Kevis Television named after its founder Phillip Kevis. A true pop culture treasure trove!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

If you recognize this catch phrase from the Mr. Microphone ad, you'll love this book. Indeed any child of the '70s or '80s can appreciate the nostalgia and humor of the infomercial era, which is vividly and humorously captured in "As Seen on TV". It's all here, from Abtronic to Zamfir, Master of the Pan Flute. If you have any doubt about whether your money would be well spent on this gem, then to paraphrase Ron Popeil: "Just forget it and GET IT!"

What a fun book! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who has ever gotten caught up watching infomercials or home shopping channels. It's fascinating to read about products that became hugely popular, even though in some cases, you look at them now and say "what were they thinking?".

It was especially fun for me because... as I turned each page, I had to wonder if the next product was one I've bought. LOL
Yes, I have succumbed to the "power of the pitch" and bought into the hype. And yes, I have purchased a few of the items in this book (George Foreman Grill, Steamer, etc... and I LIKE the Dr. Ho's Muscle Massage System!) but I'll never admit to how many.

Anyone who has heard "and that's not all" will enjoy the fact that a section with that title is included AFTER the index.

I only gave this book 4 stars because I wanted more products to be in it! It was so fun to read, I wanted more of it.

This book read itself!

I bought this trip to entertain myself for a long drive home from Wisconsin to Florda. (Don't worry- I was the passanger, not the driver. Gusee I should've used the word 'ride' but I'm too lazy to backspace!)

I think the ultimate compliment to a book is when your constantly interupting other people around you to read the next wonderful thing you've read. I lost my voice from this book.

There's not too much to tell in this review. You've simply got to read it for yourself. It is so much more than just a list of goofy things sold via infomercials and TV ads. We get interviews, product history, trivia and much, much more.

We also get the lowdown on what was legit and what wasn't.

So the next time your using the flow-bee and screw up so badly your running to the store for some GLH (if you don't know what that sentence just meant, buy the book)... think of this book. It'll help ya.

And if you're just looking for some easy entertaing reading... this is it folks!

Did folks buy this stuff? They sure did, by the millions according to Harry and Stall. Some of these products would really be hard to parody, the Chai Ceramic Pet that grows vegetation, the Turbi Twist, a hair towel with an elastic loop (with the predictable AS SEEN ON TV on the box) the Copper Tongue Scraper, PROVEN EFFECTIVE was the bold statement on its packaging but it really does look just like a piece of bent metal! Each product has a spread with photos, copy and several colored panels (more on these later) containing background material and other trivia. I liked the Product panels best with their Description, Availability, Claimed Innovation, Upside and the Downside, just read the Downside to each product and really get the truth.

The six basic chapters are Kitchen Marvels, Fashion and Beauty, Fabulous Fitness, Entertainment Breakthroughs, Home Improvement Miracles, and finally Get Rich Quick, between these chapters are some interesting features, pages 122 and 123 cover the rise of the home shopping channels where you will be amazed to find that QVC have studio tours (yours for only [x ammount of dollars]). Ron Popiel, the founder of Ronco, has four pages explaining the background to the infomercial techniques he uses to shift the goods. Incidentally the Ronco story is covered in 'But, Wait! There's More!' by Timothy Samuelson, lots of product photos, vintage ads and packaging and a fairly accurate history of the Popiel family. Ever wonder what happened to yesterday's celebrities, check out pages 74 to 79 to see the Top 100 infomercial-land stars from Allen (Debbie) to Zappa (Dweezel) you'll be surprised who's listed, well, perhaps not. 'As Seen On TV' is a fascinating and fun book covering a subject that most of us would hardly think twice about.

But, wait! There is more! DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL! Buy this book and get absolutely FREE hundreds of words that only come out in daylight! The book's designer (unfortunately) decided to use pink panels, on many of the product pages, with text in light blue. Big mistake, because it is very hard to read in a normal domestic lighting environment and the type used for the headlines on these panels is hard to read even in daylight!

I was impressed from the beginning with the content of this book. It has been a great help in my recent graduate projects. This is one I will keep on the shelf for reference.

This book is simply the best book on post-production audio out there. I have over a decade of experience mixing live sound and some formal training in post production, but Rose gets to the real nuts and bolts of the day-to-day sweetening of sound that I was able to apply his ideas the same day I read a chapter on EQ. I have read so many books on sound where authors get into all the details, but fail to give hands on practical advice. Rose has two unique things going for him in this book: the included CD that gives A/B comparisons of various audio sweetening and processing techniques and the cookbook format at the end of each chapter. Try any one of these "recipes" and you will instantly get results and be able to solve various problems and massively improve your soundtrack.
He gets technical in spots going into the physics of sound, studio design, and other minutia but the non-geeks you can usually skip these sections and side-bars. For those who just want to fix things they can jump to the end of each chapter and use the cookbook/troubleshooting sections. I can't recommend this book enough. If you are serious about filmmaking, you can't be without this book.

Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
By Jay Rose
Review by Pi Ware

Don't listen to the title. It's bigger than the title. The "Digital Video" part of Audio Postproduction for Digital Video restricts the scope of this classic Jay Rose text. Rose's book goes far beyond DV, in fact, it starts with an explanation of what sound is on the molecular level and then takes you not just through audio postproduction for TV, but to techniques specific to movie production, techniques that are entirely independent of the format you originate on. Audio Postproduction for Digital Video is top-notch. It's an excellent, text-book quality manual, a soup-to-nuts guide on how to deal with sound in postproduction.

Jay Rose never gives you solutions that are applicable only to specific Digital Audio Workstations, he arms you with knowledge you can use in any platform or program. The book is an education in sound and, together with the numerous photos and diagrams (and Rose's good sense of humor), it's a liberation from the dry prose of most manuals on postproduction.

Rose teaches you from the ground up what sound is, what good sound is, and how to make bad sound better. He doesn't just stop at good writing, however, he illustrates important points with an audio CD included in the back of the book. Together with the CD, the text guides you through importing audio into the computer, editing dialogue, Do It Yourself Foley and ADR, working with filters, noise reduction techniques, pitch and time changes, the sound mix, and even, if you're so inclined, designing, constructing and wiring your own postproduction audio facility.

Though postproduction changes with every new advance in technology, Audio Postproduction for Digital Video stays current by focusing on strategy, not software. Rose avoids giving specific keystroke instructions in specific programs, but instead explains common solutions to common problems using common tools. As he says in his introduction, "You should be able to use these pages for a long time."

Anyone considering directing a short or feature, anyone who wants to be even nominally involved in the sound design of their film, and, of course, anyone interested in working in audio postproduction, would do extremely well to pick up a copy of this classic Jay Rose text.

This book in fantastic. The author's voice and style make this not only easy to read but a joy to read as well. There are little tips and tidbits in each chapter that will make a good audio guy great and a great audio guy better. I recommend this book to anyone in the audio post world.

I decided to buy this book because I had used the forum on the DV.com website for information before, and Jay Rose's comments there had proven to be spot-on and well-informed.
This book contains a thorough examination of all the factors which contribute to the quality of post-production audio. The level of information includes the spectrum from basic to advanced, but through Mr. Rose's clear explanations the advanced information should not go over the heads of the reader.

Easy to read and follow. A good value even though it doesn't come with a demo CD.

Nice book. I've been an NLE dabbler for a few years, but never very serious about it. After finishing this book, I feel pretty comfortable with avid xpress, which was pretty intimidating at first. Good, easy read. I would have liked color pictures, though...

This is an excellent, well-written guide to the Avid Xpress Pro system, and while it can't replace the extended Authorized Avid Education advanced editing course, it is a great overview of the many different topics covered therein.

But, more importantly, it covers many things not in the official Avid training guides - things that after reading this book one feels really should be, like practical tips, tricks, and notes for a more truly professional end project. I would definitely recommend this for serious editors and people who want to get into the deeper strengths of the Avid system... it moves quickly, and might be confusing for a complete beginner.

I am just finishing up on this book, and after two solid days I have gone from no experience with avid to very comfortable. I don't know how well a new editor would do with this book, but if you already know FCP or Premiere this seems like an excellent way to learn all of the key concepts you need to run an editing app.
This is the best instructional manual I have come across.

I make my living editing digital video and this book is by far the best instructional material on Avid Xpress Pro I've seen. There are tips and suggestions it would have taken me years to figure out on my own. I'm doing better quality work in less time. I wish I had found this book two years ago.

I have always wondered what it'd be like to work on a TV talk show. From a distance it seems like a glam life. Alex Richards realistically conveys the hard work, tension, & ulcer-producing behind-the-scenes toil of a talk show intern, but balances it with Gemma's fun life with her rich, sophisticated roommates. The characters are well drawn & sassy, but I also found them compassionate. And Gemma is a love. The book was fast-paced, a really enjoyable read.

I had the pleasure of interviewing the author for my school newspaper and I had some very high hopes for the book. Back Talk exceeded my expectations by lightyears! It was glamorous and fun to read but still captured the nitty gritty of teen life. I finished the book the day I bought it in record time and I will probably read it again. I have to say I am envious of her characters. They are all so much fun and by the end you (as the reader) feel like you know them personally. So, all in all it was a pleasure to read. Bring on the champagne and the fake IDs! Oh, New York can be so glamorous.

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (8/07)

"Back Talk" is about a girl named Gemma who finds a job working for a talk show. Gemma is only sixteen, the youngest of all the employees. She and her friends like to get together and talk about cute boys, or their current boyfriends.

There is a pair of twins working for the talk show. All the twins do is try to get Gemma into trouble. Well, one of Gemma's favorite workmates ends up losing his job. The reason is because the twins said that the guy was sexually harassing them. Gemma doesn't believe this is true. She sets out to find the truth and to get her workmate hired back. Now, all Gemma wants to do is prove that the twins are lying.

The talk show owners decide that they want their special guest to be a child prostitute. The only problem is, the thirteen-year-old girl they find is afraid of appearing on the show as she fears that her pimp is going to kill her. Gemma meets up with this girl a few times to try to convince her that they will protect her from her pimp. She even talks to the boss for the talk show about offering more to this girl. So, the talk show boss decides to offer this girl a scholarship to a great college and promises her a good education. But will this young prostitute risk it?

In my opinion, "Back Talk" was an okay book if you like to read about talk shows. I was not too fond of all the dirty language used throughout this book. Some cursing would have been fine. But there was a bit too much. My favorite part of this book was when Gemma kicked Nick between the legs. I like how the author wrote "Ouch. The consequences were gonna need an ice pack." That part was really funny. I also enjoyed how the author chose to end the book. Not one question was left unanswered. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes a fast-paced book with a lot of excitement in it.

First, the blurb above states that this book is for 9-12 year olds. That is a mistake - it is Young Adult fiction (so maybe grades 9-12!!). I don't recommend it for a 12 year old.

This is by far the best YA novel I have read, ever. And I am not just saying that!

It's the story of a naive 16 year old from Idaho who's in New York City for a summer internship working at a TV talk show. She's staying with some rich, glamorous friends who take her under their wing for a taste of night life and what seems to be the beginning of a great friendship too.

The characters grab you instantly -- there's the heroine, Gemma, who's journey into the fast-paced world of New York TV production is made all the more human by the insights we are given into her self doubt. She's never sure if she's quite getting the hang of this life but she follows her heart and so ends up doing the right thing. Her periodic flirtation with a dashing British student(!!!) is described with humor and tenderness.

Gemma's two friends have been born into money and status, so at first their lifestyle seems intimidating to Gemma. As they become closer, Gemma realizes that the glamor, the drinking and the sarcasm are all part of a cover up for the one thing they weren't privileged with: a loving family. The three of them bond over the summer and each comes to understand the other - it's an allegory for how the mid-west and corn-belt is so out of touch with the so-called east-coast sophisticates.

The characters and the behind-the-scenes views of the TV industry are what sets this book apart from the genre. Gemma is thrown into a crazy topsy-turvy world of hardened TV producers who have seen it all. When they find it hard to care for the people they exploit for a story, Gemma shows them all that you can be successful and still have a heart.

All in all a great read! The sarcastic humor that the narrator and the characters sling around is wickedly entertaining. The characters are well rounded and the plot is rich in detail and structure. The pace of the story keeps up right through to the end chapter, and it's hard to believe we have to leave Gemma and company to live the rest of their summer without finding out what happens next!

First time author Alex Richards shows great promise with this novel - we're all dying to see what she comes up with next.

If only my life was this fabulous at 16. As much as you want to hate on and be jealous of the trio of roommates in this book, (Gemma, America, and Dana), you will end up loving all of them. They are interning and living in NYC, two are fabulously rich, but without any of that spoiled super sweet 16 BS (OK maybe a teeny bit). The star of the novel, Gemma, is quite down to earth coming to NYC from the not so chichi countryside. Her take on interning at a trashy talk show is refreshing. Perhaps more interesting is the peek into Gemma's internship and the talk show world in general. I read online that the author once worked for a talk show type TV program, maybe we have some slightly blind itemed situations going on here. self-obsessed talk show host = egomaniac Tyra Banks? Probably not but fun to guess....