The Sweetheart Deal

The Sweetheart Deal (Candy Apple)

Holly Kowitt

Scholastic, 2009

$6.99, Paperback

978-0545100687

April 8^th, 2012

Genre: Realistic, School Story, Romance

Age: 9+

Description: Skyler Hanson is a self-made fashion expert who is running for president of the fashion club. Unfortunately her idea of direction the club needs to go conflicts with rich girl and running mate Madison Gilette’s ideas. When the rivalry sparks a bet, Skyler has a lot to loose. She must transform a Mathlete, Nathan Stillman, nerd extraordinaire, into a hottie that Ashleigh, the current eighth grade president of fashion club, will want to ask to dance the Sweetheart Dance at the upcoming Valentine’s Day party. If she looses, Skyler will forfeit the race for president to Madison. Nathan actually only agrees to participate if Skyler can get his band, The Vectors, a gig to play. Soon Skyler and Nathan are spending a lot of time together as she gets him new clothes and teaches him the lessons of how to talk, walk, and act around the popular kids. When she hears his band play and realizes it is totally not mainstream music that will fly at the Valentine’s Dance she panics that they’ll get laughed out of the auditorium. She tries to warm them and instead a fight breaks out and Nathan refuses to speak to her. Can Skyler save the day and win the president spot and the guy?

Opinion: This is pretty much the same storyline as the other Candy Apple book I read—a girl trying to get a guy. While the characters do tend to come off a bit shallow and stereotypical for this kind of fluff fiction, one thing I do like is that the characters do show some growth. Skyler realizes that the nerds can be cool and in the end gets Nathan as a boyfriend. This is a Special Edition Candy Apple book meaning it’s about 20 pages longer (story wise) and includes an additional 20 pages of real-life stories about Valentine’s Day from other Candy Apple authors.