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"[Viola in Reel Life] had us hooked on page one." —Seventeen magazine
Reviews
"Trigiani (Big Stone Gap) takes the familiar boarding school milieu and gives it some welcome nuance and a refreshingly grounded feel in her debut YA work, first in a proposed series. To her horror, 14-year-old aspiring filmmaker Viola Chesterton is forced to leave her family, her funky Brooklyn neighborhood and her “Best Friend Forever And Always” Andrew to spend her freshman year at Prefect Academy for Young Women in South Bend, Ind. But Viola soon finds much to like in her new roommates and rural campus, chronicling her experiences in a video diary. While the story of Viola’s blossoming may seem slow to readers used to students who are training to be spies or developing crushes on vampires, Trigiani offers a realistic look at the ever-shifting bonds of friendship and the adjustment to one’s first taste of life away from home. Viola’s reflections on the sisterhood of girlfriends and the importance of girls standing up for themselves are resonant but never cheerleaderish. Trigiani uses Viola’s droll humor and a colorful supporting cast to great effect, ensuring that readers will want to know what happens to them in future volumes. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)" —Publisher's Weekly
See Adriana talk about Viola on the Today Show.
Viola, as well as her boarding school friends, were characters that I found easy to relate to. Since not only are the same exact age as me but she faced a lot of problems that me and my friends, as well as girls around the globe are going through. Such as boy trouble ( her best boy friend at home or the new charming boy?), making friends in a place were no one knows you, and finding your place in this crazy world. This all made this a great coming of age novel with a mix of girl power and cute boys. —Read the complete review at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf blog
For the last book of this summer, we picked a story about starting school in a new place. Viola in Reel Life by New York Times best-selling author Adriana Trigiani had us hooked on page one, when Viola likens herself to a forgotten potato. Viola has been sent away to Prefect Academy, an all-girls boarding school in South Bend, Indiana. She's horribly homesick for Brooklyn and her Best-Friend-Forever-And-Always Andrew, but at least she has her movie camera to console her. Although the wide-open spaces may make her feel lonely, it's hard to be alone when you share your dorm room with three other girls and a super-perky RA. Friendships must eventually form, and just because it's an all-girls school, doesn't mean that there won't by guys at the freshman dance! —Seventeen magazine
Check out this chat with Adriana about Viola in Reel Life in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Many writers of fiction for adults have tried to bridge the gap to writing for young people, with mixed success. Adriana Trigiani, the popular author of the Big Stone Gap series, among other novels, breezily navigates the transition to young adult fiction with her first book for teens, Viola in Reel Life. ... With its light, optimistic tone and easygoing storytelling, Adriana Trigiani’s boarding school novel might just be the perfect way for young readers to ease back into their own school days. —Nora Piehl; Read the complete review on BookPage.com
... A cold, snowy winter, a ghost mystery, kisses, cookies, roommates, a video diary, a film competition, and Viola's crack-me-up-every time observations all make this an endearing coming-of-age story that I really enjoyed from one end to the other. Viola In Reel Life is an exceptionally fun read for tweens and teens, particularly all those out there who are experimenting with video or are into the dramatic arts. It is incredible how much author-filmmaker Adriana Trigiani shows us about the complexities of Viola's envisioning and producing a "simple" fifteen-minute video for the story's climactic film competition. And there are sure to be some great arguments between readers regarding what is said by one of Viola's schoolmates about how boys typically deal with competition versus how girls deal with it. —Richie Partington; Read Richie's complete review at Richie's Picks!
Adriana Trigiani “has entered the teen field with a character girls can identify with… With all the usual qualms about the "boonies" locale, getting along with three roommates, and feeling alone, especially without her texting best friend, Andrew home in Brooklyn, Viola is a smart and sensible girl and very easy to like… There's insight here about parents, their feelings and problems as well… Yup, teen girls will like this one.” —Sue Carita, The Toadstool Bookshop, Milford, NH
AND, check out the Harper Teen site!