Theodora Twist

by Melissa Senate

Book Overview

Theodora Twist is Hollywood's hottest young actress. Emily is a 16-year-old nobody to everyone. The only thing remotely interesting about Emily? She lives in Theodora Twist's former house. But she's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385733011
• ISBN13: 9780385733014
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Fun, yet thoughtful, portrayal of Hollywood teens -

The basic premise of Theodora Twist is that a young Hollywood starlet - who has a penchant for getting into trouble with the media - returns to her hometown of Oak City, NJ to film a reality show in a last ditch effort to save her reputation by showing she's "just a regular teen". The real draw of this story (aside from the not-so-subtle character similarities to the Lindsay Lohans of L.A.) is the relationship that develops between Theodora, the starlet, and Emily Fine, the truly regular teen who now lives in the house where the show is being filmed. The touching back story that unravels, which shows that much of Theodora's facade is the result of losing her father at a young age, fuels the novel in an excellent way. And the fact that Emily's character blossoms so well as she simultaneously gets comfortable with sharing the limelight and provides support for Theodora's revelations about herself is great. Melissa Senate really managed to grasp how "normal" teenage life can be, all the while mirroring that with the abnormalities of life that surround a teen Hollywood star. This was a superb first young adult novel and I really hope she pens some more in the coming years.

great teen read

Meet Emily Fine. She's as exciting as her name. That is, not very. The boy she spent two years loving from afar dates her for two weeks before dumping her. She wears boring clothes, does all her homework, is respectful to her mother and new step-father, helps with her new baby sister, and never gets into trouble. Now meet Theodora Twist. She's... well, she's Theodora Twist! The hottest sixteen-year-old actress ever to come out of Nowheresville, New Jersey. Nearly every high school boy in America has a crush on her, but she can't be bother with them. Not when she has twin hottie boyfriends of her own. So what do these two girls have in common? Well, Emily lives in Theodora's old house. And, once upon a time, for about four weeks, the two girls were friends. But that was years ago. Forgotten. What they have in common now is that Theodora is going to be living with Emily and her family for a month, for her new reality show, Theodora Twist: Just a Regular Teen. After some scandalous photos of Theodora are taken, her agent decides that she needs to re-invent her image. And what could be better than as a regular teen? Especially with Emily for a surrogate sister, how could she possibly get into trouble? Emily and Theodora are both a little weary about this arrangement, because it seems they have nothing in common. But they agree, and as the show progresses, they realize that they have more in common than they may initially think. This story about unexpected friendship is far from cheesy. It is written so realistically that you can't help but believe it. Emily is likeable right away, and Theodora grows on the reader as she reveals her true self to Emily, bit by bit. Poignant, touching, and true, you won't want to put this book down.

kewl

I bought this book at a Borders at an airport to read on the plane. I finished the book way before we landed. It was that good. It's true that it has a bit of inappropiateness, but overall, it was great. Melissa Senate portays her characters well and she did a great job.

A must read!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I've read Melissa Senate's chick lit and wasn't sure how well she'd write a teen book. I loved reading about both Theodora and Emily and how things were going to turn out between the former friends. Even though Theodora was a top teen actress who acted poorly, Emily saw the good in her anyways. I think this is a must read for any teen reader.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

I admit it--I'm a sucker for light, fun, fast reads that deal with situations I would never in a million years find myself in. Such is the case of THEODORA TWIST, a book that deals with a sixteen-year old Hollywood starlet, a beautiful teen who has experienced more in her young life than I'll ever experience in mine. The problem starts when Theodora Twist, young star and Hollywood's darling, gets caught one too many times in a scandalous situation. Since she's dating both of the twin Bellini brothers (and by dating, I also mean sleeping with), her many endorsers aren't so sure of her wholesome appeal to the tweens and teens that they're looking to rope into the theaters. Her agent-slash-talent manager, Ashley Bean, has schooled her in the art of being cheerfully untruthful, but Theodora once again lets her stubbornness get in the way of good acting--not only does she kiss both Bo and Brandon Bellini for the benefit of a reporter, but she's later caught cavorting with them in the ocean half-naked. Ashley's job is damage control, and she comes up with what she believes is the perfect resolution to Theodora's wild child image. She'll be the star of her own reality show, Theodora Twist: Just a Regular Teen! The goal of the show is simple--prove to the world's population that Theodora isn't the spoiled, pampered, sexually-active teen that she really is, but the down-to-earth, normal teenager that you don't get to see on television and the big screen. Although Theodora was born Dora Twistler, she has no intention of ever being that person again. And spending a month living in her childhood home with Emily Fine and her family, going to high school, hanging out at the mall, and going to prom is not her idea of fun. For Emily, she's not sure what to think about having the elusive and mysterious Theodora Twist in her house, sharing her bedroom, having her every move and conversation taped for possible broadcast on television. Sure, she's now popular and in-demand, but that's only destined to last as long as Theodora is in town. When she leaves, Emily knows she'll go back to the boring, nobody girl she's always been. But Emily and Theodora both have a lot to learn, about friendship, self-esteem, and family. As Theodora learns that the death of her father is still haunting her, and Emily realizes that being famous might not be all it's cracked up to be, a friendship is born that has nothing to do with fame and fortune. THEODORA TWIST is a quick, fun read that will appeal to readers on many levels. The sexuality of Theodora may bother some, but it's never shown as a preferable lifestyle, but rather the results of a life lived in Hollywood's spotlight. I truly enjoyed this quick read, and guarantee that others will, as well.