Life Is a Movie Starring You:
The Pesky Meddling Girls Guide to Living Your Dreams
By Jennifur Brandt
Warner Books, $12.95
ISBN 0446676330

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"It is within your Pesky Princess power to give each day a happy ending" is just one of the many inspiring mantras to be found in teen expert and popular fanzine editor Jennifur Brandt's new book Life Is a Movie Starring You. Brandt brings her quirky wit and glam girl lingo to the table in this entertaining and creative hands-on manual to surviving everyday girl life.

This guide to being a Pesky Girl, (i.e. "a combination of spunky and sweet, responsible and rebellious, mysterious but down to earth, outspoken but never rude, but most of all she knows that the secret of life isn't sitting in the audience") is a must-read for the young girl in all of us.

Brandt originally came up with the idea for her Pesky Meddling Girls 'zine (a trendy newsletter-type publication for teens) when she was in junior high. It showcases her insight and shares the scoop on the most confusing elements of being a teenage girl -- from how to treat a good friend to applying makeup.

Brandt empowers her young readers, teaching them that even their quirkiest traits can be glamorous. She emphasizes how teens can be the star of their own movie -- her metaphor for life -- by flaunting their innermost star qualities.

Think Holly Golightly, Calamity Jane and Cleopatra Jones. This book shows that every big-screen character we have loved through the years has had her own one-of-a-kind flair, and that each in-the-know reader can have that too. Brandt's workbook style format leads her readers through activities that help them identify their favorite things: movies, friends, clothes, etc. But at the same time, she provides them with the tools they need to sashay their unique personality traits and hone in on life-long goals.

It's a confidence-building book filled with advice that every girl craves, like how to show off personal fashion sense, and how to fall in crush. (Who needs to fall in love when there are so many great boys out there!) Brandt's do's and don'ts on important stuff, from best friend tiffs to breaking the cursing habit, will help her readers face those day-to-day dilemmas with flair, grace and pizzazz.

Gabrielle Lewis is a star in her own life movie. She is currently a freelance writer in the New York City area.