Rani and the Fashion Divas

Rani Sen is a member of brain bowl, an unknown at school with a single friend, and frizzy hair and boring clothes. This doesn't mean she never dreams about being different. Rani would love to be one of the Fashion Divas, a group of popular girls who swish through school in fashionable clothes, with all eyes on them. Unfortunately, a RANDOM encounter with Weird Wendy, a girl who dresses outlandishly and doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, may sink Rani's chances forever. The Fashion Divas think Rani is friends with Weird Wendy and therefore must be as weird and unfashionable as she is. To Rani's surprise, Wendy turns out to be interesting. She volunteers at a nursing home, and Rani starts getting caught up in the lives of the people there, especially one sweet old lady with a fascinating past. Meanwhile, the Fashion Divas decide to give Rani a second chance. Rani makes sure they have no idea how much time she's spending with Wendy at the nursing home. When Rani has to abandon Wendy and the nursing home crowd to be in the Divas fashion show, she doesn't even think twice about it --- or does she? RANI AND THE FASHION DIVAS is a well-written, enjoyable story about figuring out who you really are and what price you're willing to pay for popularity. Although the popular girls in this book are not as cutthroat as they are in other works --- The Clique, for example, or Amy Goldman Koss's THE GIRLS --- Rani's conflicted feelings about belonging are very believable. She wants to belong to the Divas, be popular and fashionable, and still be herself --- and it takes some thinking to figure out what she wants more. The fourth in the Star Sisterz series, RANI AND THE FASHION DIVAS continues the very minor paranormal element found in all the books --- so minor in this book that it could have been taken out of the story entirely without the reader noticing it. The strength here are the characters, particularly Rani and her family. Author Anjali Banerjee does a great job of depicting an Indian-American family. The cultural elements are clearly part of who Rani is, but they never overwhelm her character or seem stereotypical. Banerjee appears to pay particular attention to Tima, Rani's grandmother. Although unusual and idiosyncratic, Tima never fails to be an individual. RANI AND THE FASHION DIVAS is a fun read that manages to depict an interesting, believable high school environment while also imparting some important lessons about making decisions. --- Reviewed by Paula Jolin