Summer in the city? Way overrated. Everybody who's anybody in New York City summers in the Hamptons. Mara, Eliza, and Jacqui all want a piece of the action, all for different reasons.

So the girls answer a classified ad to become au pairs. How bad can it be, watching a couple of kids on the beach all day? They've got the swank address, the sweet ride, and an all-access pass to the hottest social scene on the East Coast. It's shaping up to be the summer of their lives.

The Au Pairs

ANNOTATION

Three teenage girls from different backgrounds work for a summer in the Hamptons as au pairs for a wealthy family, and in spite of many ups and downs, all three end up changing for the better.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

So the girls answer a classified ad to become au pairs. How bad can it be, watching a couple of kids on the beach all day? They've got the swank address, the sweet ride, and an all-access pass to the hottest social scene on the East Coast. It's shaping up to be the summer of their lives.

FROM THE CRITICS

- Michael Musto

A gift bag of satire, spectacle, and name-dropping. It's all too fabulous for words.

Publishers Weekly

"Lurking just below the surface of this over-the-top fantasy of high life in the Hamptons is a trio of fairly ordinary teen romances," according to PW. "A beach read without a doubt." Ages 14-up. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Heidi Hauser Green

It's summertime, and the very richest New York City families are heading out of town fast. Kevin and Anna Perry are going to the exclusive Hamptons with their four young children in tow. They are in desperate need of caregivers and advertise for "au pairs," promising "the best summer of your life!" Eliza Thompson, Mara Waters, and Jacqui Velasco, the au pairs they have hired, sure do hope for truth in their advertising! Eliza is a real glamour girl. A former top-of-the-line NYC resident, she has been slumming it in Buffalo ever since her father was busted for some shady business dealings. She looks at the "au pair" gig as her opportunity to return to the top and be reunited with her former peers for the drinking and carousing they have always enjoyed. Mara is the good girl. To this working-class girl from small town Massachusetts, $10,000 for two months of child care is a great deal that will help her buy a used car and pay for college. The time away from boring old Sturbridge and her suffocating boyfriend Jim is just icing on the cake. Jacqui is an exotic romantic. A real head-turner, she's not interested in the attentions of the many men who try to catch her eye. She's come to the Hamptons in pursuit of her "true love," Luca, the boy who has been strangely silent since his return to the States from his trip to Brazil. Melissa de la Cruz has written what will surely be a must-read novel for teens who like to soak in the glamour, glitz, and scandal of celebrity gossip. The chapters are drenched in liquor and the pages are full of name-dropping. This novel primarily operates on a surface, fun level, but it is also a story of budding teen friendship and developing sexual identity. 2004,Simon & Schuster, Ages 15 to 18.

VOYA - Kristen Moreland, Teen Reviewer

This book held my interest from the beginning because of the fast-paced story line and intriguing characters. Almost every girl who reads this book will be able to relate to Eliza, Mara, or Jacqui. De la Cruz does a good job of describing the atmosphere of summertime in the Hamptons, and makes you feel as though you are there. The Au Pairs would appeal to all teenage girls looking for a great summer read. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Simon & Schuster, 304p., Ages 12 to 18.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Sun and sea, hot parties, hot guys, and the promise of $10,000 for taking care of four overprivileged, undersupervised kids. This is the life that awaits three teens during a summer in New York's exclusive Hamptons. Eliza, whose father's fortune fell, is hoping to recapture some of the glamour and luxury of her former life by taking this position where her family once had a summer home. Mara is looking for a way out of her small hometown and a way to earn enough money for a car and college tuition. Jacqui, a Brazilian beauty used to getting everything she wants, is looking for the one thing that eludes her: true love. The three are hired by the Perrys and wade through problematic relationships, power struggles, and the ever-important social scene. De la Cruz name-drops and power-shops throughout, creating an entertaining vision of how "the other half" lives. The Au Pairs offers wealth, status, steamy sex, lots of heavy drinking, changing values, and juicy fun on the East Coast for fans of Zoey Dean's "The A-List" series and Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" series (both Little, Brown).-Tracy Karbel, Glenside Public Library District, Glendale Heights, IL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Read all 6 "From The Critics" >