The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Title: The Vinyl Princess 

Author: Yvonne Prinz           

Publish Date: December 2009 

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers 

Pages: 313pp 

ISBN: 0061715832 

Classification: Fiction 

Genre: Realistic Fiction 

Annotation: Allie is a teen music junkie.  On her summer break from school she get’s a job at Bob & Bob Records (the coolest record store in town).  Here Allie begins to piece together her secret identity as the Vinyl Princess.

Plot Summary: Sixteen-year-old self-proclaimed music geek, Allie, spends every free moment practically running Bob & Bob's Records.  She knows everything there is to know about vinyl's and composes articles for a blog and a zine.  Her best friend and vintage fashion maven Kit, hang out at bohemian eateries and coffeehouses in downtown San Francisco.  Her home life is complicated yet oddly normal.  Her mom is in the dating pool and her father’s twenty-something wife is pregnant, making Allie a new older sister.  Like most teenage girls, Allie struggles with boys, never seems to get it quite right. While working in the record store, a boy starts to notice Allie, and Allie starts to notice him.  She secretly fantasizes about him liking her.  Soon enough, Allie realizes what his intentions are. She has several interesting encounters with music customers and has an eye-opening summer. 

Personal Response: LOVED this book! Any teen who has a passion for music will relate to this story.  Allie is definitely a likable character.  Her trials and tribulations are relatable even if you aren’t a music geek—it’s the young emotions and teenage angst that ring true. Although taking place in Berkley, California, the author is from Edmonton, Alberta.  It’s interesting to think about this being classified as Canadian being that the backdrop of the story is California. With that said, Allie is the nickname of the main character, who’s name is Alberta.  I thought it was kind of cool how the author weaved in her home state as the main character’s name.

The Vinyl Princess blog: http://www.thevinylprincess.com/

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Staying honest with who you are and not letting anything or anyone pull you down.  Coming-of-age.

Age Range: 12 and up

Subjects: Music, Records, Zines, LPs, Hipsters, Friendship, Blogging, Internet, High School, Teen Angst, Relationships, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction.

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