Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Is this book controversial? You bet! Is it funny! No doubt about it. Is it appropriate reading material for all ages? Depends on what you deem appropriate.

I've read with interest the other reviews for READY OR NOT, Meg Cabot's sequel to All-American Girl. I even agree with a lot of them. But before I start my review, let me remind you of one salient point--this book is a work of FICTION. It was written by a HUMAN who has her OWN views of life. Just as everyone on Amazon isn't going to agree on whether or not abortion is right, or the war in Iraq is necessary, or whether religion should be allowed in public schools, no two people are going to agree on whether or not *SPOILER* Sam should have had sex with her boyfriend at the age of almost seventeen.

That said, I loved the book. I'm a thirty-year-old happily married mother of two, and I still enjoyed Ms. Cabot's individual brand of humor, the trials of being a teenager, and the ability of one person to make a difference in the world.

The Samantha Madison of ALL-AMERICAN GIRL has grown up. She's older, she's dyed her hair because she "needed a change," and she's wondering what to do now that her boyfriend, David, who just happens to be the son of the US President, has invited her to Camp David over Thanksgiving weekend to play "parcheesi."

Sam is all ready reeling--from the realization that she either looks like a cute Ashlee Simpson (her older sister Lucy's comment on the dye job, which is not good) or a dead Joan of Arc (her younger sister Rebecca's comment on the hair, which could be good depending on how you look at it); the fact that "life studies" in art class obviously means "naked people" (really not good that the first naked man you see is a complete stranger); and the knowledge that the President seems to think providing the teens of America birth-control should not be done without their parents approval.

I truly enjoyed READY OR NOT. The message is a powerful one--the sexuality of a person should be based on their maturity, not their age, and that birth-control is a personal decision of the person engaging in sexual activities. That said, however, never once does the book become preachy about teen sexuality. I can understand where some parents might not like having their teenage daughters reading about a sixteen-year-old who decides to have sex with her boyfriend, but I personally would rather have my daughter read a book about a girl who knows what a big decision it is, comes to peace with it in her mind, and seeks out ways to avoid the dangers that are associated with sex no matter what your age--pregnancy and disease--then have her feel ashamed to research her decision.

I think the subject matter was wonderfully handled, and by no means is the entire book about Sam trying to decide whether or not to have sex with David. A lot of reviewers will attempt to make it be so, just because the subject matter is a touchy one. But it's also about Sam wanting to be her own person, not just "the girl who saved the President." It's about learning to love yourself as you are, and understanding the intricacies of your family, and taking important steps in your life to make the world a better place.

Samantha Madison grew up in this book, and that's how it should be. Any parent who thinks their teenager isn't thinking about sex is sadly mistaken--it's just a fact of life. And Meg Cabot presents a wonderful story about the highs and lows of falling in love, of making life-altering decisions, and being the best person you can be. ( )

awsome sequel to the first. ( )

Sam is happily dating the president's son, getting ready to take new art classes, and despising her school. When David invites her to take their relationship to a new level - spend Thanksgiving weekend with him, Sam has to decide is she ready to take the big step of saying Yes to sex. This was a lessen in political activism and sex education wrapped up in a comic blanket. While I'd recommend it to fans of the first book, I thought it felt a bit flat. ( )

"All American Girl" is the story of an average, middle child. Samantha is the main character. She is an average teenager who rebels against her older sister's popularity and her younger sister's genius to find her own dark, edgy image. Samantha find herself in love with Lucy, her older sister's boyfriend. In a completely unrealistic, climactic event, Samantha saves the President from an assassin. She is later invited to meet the President and first family where she meets David, the President's son and her former art class mate. David and Samantha eventually end up happily ever after. This is a fun but entirely unrealistic story. ( )

I was disappointed in this book. While it is about a teen and for teens, the sexual themes were adult. Plus there was a good dose of "sexual education" in this book, that as a mother, I would prefer to be doing - not a fiction book from someone who doesn't know my child. Intentionally or not, Ms. Cabot has created a family that falls down on the job of preparing their children for adulthood, and the consequence is that their children are taking on adult responsibilities without being adequately prepared for them. In the world of this book, sex is fun. In the real world, there are all kinds of consequences - physical and emotional - for engaging in this kind of sexual behavior. This book presents an extreme - parents who are unengaged, and want to control their children without even knowing them - as the norm. Maybe it is the norm - but the ideal would be parents who know their kids, guide them in making age appropriate choices, give them knowledge - the whole spectrum - birth control, pros and cons for sexual activity as a teen vs. an adult. Maybe I'm an idealist, but that's how it worked in my family when I was a teen, and what I'm trying to do as a parent. This book left me discouraged about the messages being sent to teens. ( )