LYRE Review

Current Activities

Faculty

LYRE Programs

Book Collection

Useful Websites

LYRE Home

Summer 2006 LYRE Review

Book Cover Now Staring Vivien Leigh Reid: A Diva in Training

Sandy Rideout and Yvonne Collins

St. Martin's Press

© 2006

    Vivien Leigh Reid, lives in Seattle with her father and grandmother. Her mother moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. Now Vivien, who prefers to drop her first name and calls herself Leigh, is spending another summer with her mother. Last year she was with her mom Annika while she was filming a movie in Ireland. That’s where Leigh met Rory, her boyfriend. This summer Leigh has been enrolled in an acting class to help her decide if acting is for her. While in this class her mothers former director suggest that Leigh go on a few auditions. He sends her to a show called Diamond Heights, soap like teen drama with a five star Diva as the main character named Sasha. After Leigh gets the part she changes who she is and how she acts, she even changes the color of her hair. When Rory comes to visit Leigh realizes that they have both changed, she has also met someone new, Gray.

      As the story continues the reader is told about all the ways Leigh has changed, how she has turned into a total DIVA. Causing Rory to break up with her, all the friends she has made leave her side and her character on Diamond Heights is killed off.

      The plot in this book is more suggested to those in the grades between 6 and 8. A lot of the contexts is for a younger demographic. The writing style is a little jumpy with the characters text messaging, emails, letters, and imaginative scenes. Now starring I am sure would make more sense if you read the first book in this series Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid Daughter of a Diva.

~ Sarah Bauer, grade 11, Trumbull Career and Technical Center

To Top