Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Pages: 272

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Perspective: First Person

Challenges: N/A

Release Date: November 10, 2009

I have to tell you my secret. I can't go on . . . without revealing it. I had a pretty good run, hiding from everyone for five years. For five years I was safe. But now . . . 

It was a talent that came out of nowhere. One day Lindsay Scott was on the top of the world, the star of a hit TV show. The next day her fame had turned into torture. Every time anyone said anything about her, she heard it. And everyone was talking about Lindsay: fans, friends, enemies, enemies who pretended to be friends....

Lindsay had what looked like a nervous breakdown and vanished from the public eye. But now she's sixteen and back in the news: A tabloid newspaper claims that Lindsay is being held hostage by her father.

The truth? Lindsay has been hiding out in a small Illinois town, living in a house that somehow provides relief from the stream of voices in her head. But when two local teenagers try to "rescue" Lindsay by kidnapping her, Lindsay is forced to confront everything she's hiding from. And that's when she discovers there may be others who share her strange power. Lindsay is desperate to learn more, but what is she willing to risk to find the truth?

Stars: 3.5/5

Cover: B+

Plot:

I've never not liked one of Margaret Peterson's book, but I must admit, this one was definitely not up there on my list of favorite books from this author.

I thought the whole premise behind the story was incredibly unique, and I loved that. I think the main thing that was wrong with this book for me were the twist and turns. Usually, Haddix's twists in her stories are amazing, and leave the reader on the edge of their seat. For this book, I wasn't really effected by the plot turns, because they came out of the blue (not in the best way) and felt way too forced.

Characters:

This is going to sound extremely contradictory, but I did like the main character, Lindsay. But she depressed me. She spent pretty much all of her time by herself, and every time she went out of the house she heard the good and nasty things people all around the world would be saying about her. Not to mention, her mom wasn't in her life, and her father was dead. She had a lot going on, and it was quite apparent she was spiraling downwards.

I liked her character development throughout the book, and I thought it was paced nicely and not too sudden.

Writing:

I've always liked Margaret Peterson Haddix's writing style, but it just didn't work for me this time around. The suspense wasn't really there, and when it was, it felt too forced. 

Ending:

I must say, the ending was my least favorite part of this book. It seemed completely irrelevant from the beginning of the book, and the last twist seemed to come out of nowhere. I thought the ending left the book on a really light note though, which I liked because it was like a happy ending for the pretty much "dark" book.

Cover:

I actually really like the paperback cover a lot more than the hardcover version. The paperback is extremely eye-catching, and looks like it contains a very interesting story. The hardcover is too plain for me, and I feel like I would just over-look it.

The Final Verdict:

If you are in the mood for a more dark, unique read, this is the book for you. I will always love Margaret Peterson Haddix as an author, and though this book wasn't my favorite, it could quite well be yours.

FTC: Library.