The Amanda Project

by Amanda Valentino and Melissa Kantor

Book Overview

Mysterious, charismatic, and one of a kind--the only way to find Amanda is to think like Amanda.When enigmatic freshman Amanda Valentino arrived at Endeavor High, she chose three people--Callie, Hal,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061742139
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

The Amanda Project: Invisible I

The book starts off with Callie, she is in class and get's called out to go to the vice principal's office. When she gets there there are two other kids from her school, Hal and Nia. Callie and Hal used to be friends a long time ago but their friendship died, so Callie was really confused when she gets called into the office and there are two people sitting there that she doesn't talk to. The vice principal then informs them that they are in trouble for vandalizing his car. Of course none of them did it but they all get in trouble and must do Saturday detention's and clean the vice principal's car. The vice principal then asks them the question that starts the whole book, "Where is Amanda Valentino?" Amanda is the weird crazy girl in school who lied to Callie, Hal, and Nia about everything. Where she lived, where she grew up, who her parents were. Then one day she disappears and leaves Callie, Hal, and Nia in a lot of trouble. Through out the book they all join together to search for Amanda and in the process they learn more about themselves and each other and Callie makes a big decision about the I girls. The I girls are what the book was named after, each popular girl in school had an I in their name. Callie didn't to begin with until they changed that. But as the book goes on Callie realized that it wasn't everything to fit in when you weren't happy.

Make It A 5 Star Review - Participate in The Amanda Project!

I gave this book four stars because that is my honest opinion of the book The Amanda Project: Book 1: invisible I. It reads easily and rings true for it's depiction of high school and teen cliques. I remember being the creative, quirky, artistic "new girl" and so much of this book prompts flash backs of my high school days. What I found interesting in The Amanda Project: Book 1: invisible I, the first of a series of eight books, is the way it looks at Amanda from the viewpoints of three different classmates. Of course, when Amanda disappears, they soon realize that none of them new much about their new friend. If you want to make this a 5 star experience, you have to take it to the next level...the interactive website! The Amanda Project website [...] - from the home page: What Happened To Amanda? AMANDA VALENTINO came to our high school on Halloween. She disappeared on the Ides of March. She left us some clues, but we're not sure what they mean. The only thing we know for sure is that she utterly, completely changed our lives. Join in with hundreds of readers nationwide to try to solve the mystery, find the clues and the coolest...write your own story!

Where are you Amanda Valentino?

Callista Leary, better known as Callie, is an I-Girl. I-Girls are the most popular girls in school, and they don't associate with people of a lesser rank. Callie on the other hand, doesn't judge others as easily as the rest of the girls in her clique. She's smart, gets good grades, and enjoys learning. It's no surprise that when a new girl comes to town, it's Callie who will be showing her the ropes. When Amanda Valentino comes to town, it's Callie's job to tutor her. She starts as a mere study partner, but soon becomes good friends with the newcomer. Amanda tells Callie that she will be her 'guide' while she is going to school at Endeavor High, and this makes Callie feel special. So it's not unlikely, that when Amanda Valentino goes missing, Callie is extremely upset. When Callie finds out that she is not the only 'guide' Amanda has, she becomes distraught. Why would Amanda lie to her? Why would she tell her she was special, only to tell another the same thing? It's even worse that Amanda was also friends with two of the biggest freaks in school, Hal Bennett and Nia Rivera. With the clues that Amanda leaves behind, these three students, who are absolutely not friends, must stick together to solve the mystery of their missing friend. There is a lot going on in this first installment to The Amanda Project, but it all flows extremely well. The story is told in the present, but Callie has flashbacks along the way. During these flashbacks you learn tidbits of her life that she didn't realise were so significant until the current day. Callie learns who she is, all the while learning who she can trust. It's a novel of friendship, and what you will do to protect those you care about. I really enjoyed this book by authors Stella Lennon and Melissa Kantor. It was full of mystery, including little clues that you could try and decipher for yourself. I particularly liked that there were pictures showing you exactly what the characters in the book were seeing. You can even go to [...] and sign up to solve the clues with other readers. I'm excited to read the next installment of this series, as it leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting more. I'd like to thank Barnes and Noble for sending me a ARC of this novel to read and review. It was a quick read, and I didn't want to put it down.

First in a series

Tha Amanda Project is a fun read, with very realistic take on high school cliques (love that the i-girls all decide to dress in green for a party.) Popular i-girl Callie befriends the eccentic new girl, Amanda Valentino, and thinks she is her speical and only friend. Then Amanda disappears and Callie and Amanda's two other friends, who are promising misfits, are tasked with finding her. Callie, who is already dealing with the diasppearance of her scientist mother, and her new friends chase down enigmatic leads, but come up short. They decide to put up a website to help find Amanda, and the book ends with the birth of [...] The website is real, and quite clever -- even more enjoyable than the book, and web visitors can take an active part in solving the mystery. Middle grade girls will love this.

promising new series for teens

I just finished an advance reader's copy of The Amanda Project and was quite impressed. Since I work with teen girls I was curious to see if this was something worth getting them into. I was highly impressed with Lennon's understanding of the teenage psyche. She got the attitude, motivations and mindset of the teen years just right, especially their social interactions. While the plot does stretch the limits of reality a bit - are we really to believe that Amanda, a mere freshman in high school, is really capable of pulling all this stuff off or that a 14/15 yr. old is really caught up in that much intrigue?? However, I don't think those two points will be particularly problematic to the teen audience. I also appreciated Lennon reminding us that one can write a fun teen read without sex, drugs, underage drinking, bad language, etc (note to parents, the main character's father is battling an alcohol addiction, but it is very tastefully handled). It was also nice to see that characteristics such as independence, being true to yourself, not being afraid to stand for what's right, acceptance, looking beyond stereotypes, etc were all emphasized. This book has alot to offer readers and I think many teenage girls will enjoy following this series!