Pulling Princes

Reviews

"Calypso had always been the outcast at her posh boarding school, until a white lie opened the doors to the 'cool' crowd and an unexpected royal admirer...Verdict: Funny expose of It-girlschool life." -Elle Girl UK

"A right royal read!" -Cosmo Girl UK

"Briget Jones for the early teen set."- Washington Post USA

"Outrageously funny and a serious contender for the teen chick-lit throne."
- Claudia Mody, The Bookseller

"Fab & funny!"Mizz Magazine

"Frothy and fast paced. . . .Not far behind the giddy, ultra-glitzy fun lurks a generous spirit. Bring on the sequel." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

"A fresh and sassy new voice for teenage fiction. Adult author Tyne O'Connell (described as 'Bridget Jones on speed' by the Guardian) takes a hilarious look at the upmarket world of teenage angst in a boarding school culture. "Very funny, very different and totally hip," says Piccadilly MD Brenda Gardner. - Publishing News, STARRED CHOICE

"Why you'll love it: It's a bizarre love triangle between a spunky girl, her fake boyfriend and the Prince of England. Who can resist that?" - Twist

"...an entertaining look at boarding school life and its array of midnight dashes, make-over parties, and creative punishments. Charming and spunky Calypso has a delightful sense of humor that endears her to the reader: a glossary of fencing terms and Britishisms makes this romp accessible to American teens." - Heather Acerro, VOYA

"Calypso is the adorably funny "Queen of Doomsday Prophecies," a classic teenage-drama queen underdog in this endearing and energetic expose of English boarding school life, the first in a witty YA series by Brit chick-lit goddess O'Connell. Fitting in seems an impossible dream for the charmingly out-of-step wallflower, no matter how she tries to mask her American accent, bond with other misfits, appease her snobby roommate, and avoid mean Honey O'Hare and her rich it-girl clique. But Calypso is determined to reinvent herself by winning peer-approval the best way she knows how: nabbing an enviable older boyfriend. Or at least pretending that her Hollywood mom's gay personal assistant is her dashing suitor. Hilarity ensues, with Calypso's "Operation Cool" getting her into hot water. When an actual prince enters the picture, the stakes are raised, and jealousy rears its ugly head. Scenarios -- particularly the fencing scenes-- are inventive, fresh, and fun. In particular, the relatable teen voice here is sharp, honest, and seriously entertaining, making this an enjoyable read, and crowning O'Connell as the latest British teen queen."
- Kirkus Reviews

"Calypso Kelly has always wanted to fit in with the popular, posh girls at her British Boarding School, but her non-Brit ways, and the fact that she's an American student from LA with not-so-much money, keeps her from doing just that. But this term, Calypso plans on changing that by pretending that her Mother's gay personal assistant, Jay, is her boyfriend. What she didn't expect is that the small white lie would work, and that she would be turned into Miss Popularity overnight. But then everything goes awry, for her photo is snapped, and she appears on the cover of every British tabloid kissing Prince Freddie, England's most eligible royal. Now Calypso is forced to try to change this total calamity into a winning situation, in order to save her reputation, and possible relationship with Freddie.

"Teen fiction has been one of my favorite genres for years, and I must admit that Tyne O'Connell's addition to the genre with PULLING PRINCES, is definitely a worthy contribution. PULLING PRINCES is on the level of Meg Cabot's THE PRINCESS DIARIES, and Kate Brian's THE PRINCESS AND THE PAUPER. Her effort is filled with hilarious situations between the main protagonist - Calypso - and the many snotty, rich, and at times, downright vicious girls she attends school with. Female readers will greatly enjoy this new addition to the teen fiction genre, and will find themselves craving for more Calypso when the book is done."- Erika Sorocco

"This is a fun book to read." - bookreviews.com

"A hilarious read." -Travel for Kids

"[The] start of a fun new series. . .Pulling Princes has plenty of humor and plot. Fans of the Gossip Girls and A-List series will enjoy this one." - teenreads.com

"This is every bit the effervescent chick-lit fantasy the plot suggests. . .[a] rich and gossipy treat."- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The story is jam-packed with posh toffs, true friends, late-night sneak outs for vodka drinking, silly fads, English slang, and plenty of boarding-school antics. Budding Anglophiles can add 'pulling fit boys' to their lexicon, and will soak up the flood of upper-class British culture in this book. The story is milder than Louise Rennison's stories about Georgia Nicolson but similar in tone and style; fans of Cecily von Ziegesar's 'Gossip Girl' series and Zoey Dean's 'A-List' series should enjoy it." - School Library Journal December

"bright and breezy"-Pittsburgh Post Gazette

"[A]n entertaining, light read" -Des Moines Register

Tyne O'Connell's 'Pulling Princes' is included on the prestigious ALA's Best Lists 2005