conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a description for a book titled The Allegra Biscotti Collection about Emma, Allegra, Biscotti with the genre: Children's Books, Growing Up & Facts of Life? End with the sentence ' No redistribution permitted.'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 5-8This book manages to make the wildly implausible seem possible. When Emma, 14, becomes the hottest new fashion designer for the Voguelike Madison magazine, she does it through hard work and the help of an old hand. She's given herself the nom de plume Allegra Biscotti to cover up that she's the girl the editor met at her father's lace warehouse. Emma comes off as a believable teen. She likes a boy who seems unattainable and disregards Charlie, her supportive friend and accomplice in deception. Holly, her other BFF, has become part of an in-crowd Emma has no desire to join. But the luscious descriptions of the clothes Emma imagines are the best aspect of the book. Tiny sketches accompany most of them and add charm to the pages. Trying to come up with three alluring new designs, the protagonist lets her grades slide, gets in trouble with her parents, and ends up enlisting the aid of the capable Marjorie, an office administrator who was a professional seamstress. Emma, Marjorie, and Charlie are well rounded but other characters are vague, including the somewhat stereotyped editor and the snobby clique that attracts Holly. Still, kids interested in fashion are sure to become fans of the Allegra Biscotti collection.Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the first four paragraphs for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The Allegra Biscotti Collection
  Emma needed several seconds to process the fact that Paige was not accusing her of pretending to be Allegra Biscotti. Instead, this was the exact opposite.
  She wants what?..but I don't...I can't...now what?.. how could I not...but I shouldn't...but I want to so badly... Her brain tornado whirled, the conflicting thoughts tossed about by a force that felt out of her control.
  But Emma wasn't convinced. This wasn't some little white lie. This wasn't pretending to like Holly's unfortunate new haircut or telling her mom she would clean her room tonight. This was pretending to be someone else on the pages of the country's biggest fashion magazine. And she didn't need psychic powers to know that if Paige found out she was being tricked, it wouldn't end well.
  Emma pulled out her cell, and together they composed a very different message than she would've just ten minutes earlier.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know four more paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: She looked down at her list. In between "Sew jacket lining" and "Attach vest lining," she added, "Accessorize flapper costume for Kayla's party."
  Emma clicked her phone shut. Charlie had called—again. Checking on her progress. She knew he felt frustrated. He wanted to do something, but really what was there for him to do? Only she could design and make the clothes.
  She had just finished another successful afternoon sewing marathon at Laceland, thanks to Marjorie. Everything was slowly coming together. A full day of sewing tomorrow, Saturday, and she'd be close to done. Marjorie had agreed to meet her there to unlock the door, keep her company, and as they both knew, jump in and save Emma when she hit a snag.
  While Emma waited for the elevator in the lobby of her apartment building, she thought about the pieces tucked in her bag that needed hand-sewing and that she would work on later tonight. She hoped she'd brought the right color thread. Her dad had taken the subway home with her but detoured at the corner to pick up the dry cleaning. As she fumbled around in her bag for her keys, which she could never find, her phone rang. No doubt it was Charlie. Again.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the last three paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Emma caught herself still sneaking a peek at Jackson every few minutes during world history. He looked great today, as usual. The royal blue in his flannel plaid shirt made his eyes stand out even more than usual. How was she supposed to just shut off her feelings for him now that he was officially going out with Lexie Blackburn?
  I have to, she told herself, because by the looks of all the hand-holding going on lately, he's clearly interested in Lexie and not me.
  Suddenly feeling bold, Emma asked, "Can I see what you've been drawing? I mean, I just happened to notice that you spent most of class drawing something, and I was just...curious."