From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–The third book in Cathy Hopkins' Mates, Dates series is loads of fun. Published in the U.S. as
Mates, Dates and Designer Divas (Simon Pulse, 2003), the Portobello in the title refers to Portobello Road, a tony section of London. The story is conveyed in short, pithy chapters interspersed with diary entries, text, and Instant Messages. Taking the point of view of Nesta, a lovely half Jamaican, half Italian girl who meets the rich boy of her dreams, Simon, on the train, the plot flutters along light and easy. She and her two best friends, Lucy and Izzie, are determined to make the best of themselves, yet Nesta feels she has to try and keep up with Simon's sister and her snobby friend, Cressida (the Portobello Princess) in order to win Simon's heart. Sharp and funny, and touching lightly on some serious issues–racial prejudice, class differences, teen drinking–Nesta expresses all the self-centered teenage angst necessary for a quite predictable, yet unexpectedly poignant turn of events. Melissa Eccleston narrates with great style and verve, giving each character his or her own distinctive voice. It's not necessary to have read any of the other books in the series to follow this one, but after listening to this title, students will want to read and/or listen to the others.–
Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Oxford, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
The irresistible Nesta and her girlfriends, Lucy and Izzie, are back. Nesta has found the perfect boy, but she also needs her friends to keep her grounded. Melissa Eccleston gives a good-natured profile of each girl while subtly demonstrating how much the girls share despite the differences in their goals, values, and family lives. Nesta's beloved is Simon, whose wealthy background is in stark contrast to her "financially challenged" family. Eccleston masters the speech patterns of the varying classes and pokes fun at prejudice. A pleasant surprise is her lovely voice as she sings a vocal composition by one of the girls. Teens will identify with this timely gem. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
