All-American Girl

All-American Girl #1

by Meg Cabot

Top Ten Reasons Samantha Madison is in Deep Trouble

10. Her big sister is the most popular girl in school

9. Her little sister is a certified genius

8. She's in love with her big sister's boyfriend

7. She got caught selling celebrity portraits in school

6. And now she's being forced to take art classes

5. She's just saved the president of the United States from an assassination attempt

4. So the whole world thinks she is a hero

3. Even though Sam knows she is far, far from being a hero

2. And now she's been appointed teen ambassador to the UN

And the number-one reason Sam's life is over?

1. The president's son just might be in love with her

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit, Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Realistic Fiction

398 pages, Paperback

First published June 7, 2002

About the author

Librarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.


Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator

Reviews

[Caitlin Brown]

Top Ten Reasons WHY You Should Read This Book:

10. It's by Meg Cabot, the brilliant woman behind The Mediator Series, The Princess Diaries and other stuffish.

9. It's a nice break from all those SUPER SERIOUS SMART BOOKS you read and, let's face it, you need a break and some good chick lit. I mean, it's great to constantly improve your mind with salad and oatmeal, but in-between a good candy bar is tasty.

8. The narrator is awesome, awkward and a total dork.

7. It's completely unbelievable and yet believable. A girl saves the president from an assassination attempt. Go high school girls :)

6. There are hot boys.

5. There's a hair-stealing raven named Joe.

4. The girl, like every girl should, has a dog named Manet (it was originally Monet, like the artist, but the dog behaviorist said it sounded too negative... thus, Manet)

3. You'll understand why I made a list.

2. Did I mention how likable the narrator is? Well, it needs to be mentioned again because if you were EVER a high school girl, you can totally relate.

1. Because frisson is what makes a book fun!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book if you're just looking for a quick read on vacation or a weekend. Not too intellectually stimulating but, like many of Meg Cabot's books, a good day dream.

[Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

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I've owned this book since high school because I am le olde now, and I've been wanting to reread this book for a while-- but I've been saving it, because I didn't want to read about a girl dating the President's son while the Trumps were in the White House because oh my God, BARF. Can you fucking imagine dating one of the Trumps? Just the thought makes me want to vom. I didn't want to be thinking about that, so I waited until the Trumps made like French bread and loafed (ha ha) because #gross.



ALL-AMERICAN GIRL was my JAM when I was a teen. I reread this book over and over and identified so much with Sam, who wore all black and didn't like pop music and fancied herself an artist and didn't want to have her identity stifled by the #establishment. Sam was me!!! Actually, Sam was a lot of people but teen me was too stupid and self-centered to realize that, so I thought Sam was written for me and me alone. Ha.



This is escapist wish-fulfillment fantasy at its finest. When Sam is caught doodling and selling pictures of her classmates with late-90s/early-2000s sex symbols for money (hello, Heath Ledger and Josh Hartnett), she is forced into an after school drawing class. Well, one day she skips and accidentally stops an assassination attempt on the POTUS, and ends up becoming America's darling-- oh, and it turns out the cute, Save Ferris-loving hottie in her art class is POTUS's son. What is a girl to do??



Me reading this as a teen: OMG SAM IS SO SMART



Me reading this as an adult: OMG SHUT UP SAM YOU KNOW NOTHING



It's hard to watch her crushing on her older sister's boyfriend, Jack, who is like the posterboy for douches everywhere. He's like Trent, from Daria, without any of the self-effacing charm. He's just such a sleaze and I wanted to punch him in his ponytailed face.



Me reading this as a teen: OMG DAVID IS SO HOT



Me reading this as an adult: OMG DAVID IS SUCH A CINNAMON ROLL



David is a great love interest. Meg Cabot's love interests were always so good. She struck the perfect balance between, like, a swoony beta and a guy who would swoop in to defend his "querida" from danger. My only criticism is that teen me also thought Jack was hot, too. Which, no.



Me reading this as a teen: OMG THIS IS SO REALISTIC



Me reading this as an adult: Ummmmm, yeah. No.



I will say that this comes across as surprisingly not dated with regard to politics. There's a scene where Sam has to pick the best painting and she chooses one that shows illegal immigration and the POTUS gets all up in arms about it, like "omg, THAT can't win, it's too politically charged, oh no!"



Which makes me sad because this book comes up in 2002 and we STILL haven't fixed the problem. In fact, we made it worse. And by "we," I mean Republicans and Trump.



I enjoyed the old pop culture references to things like ska music, David Boreanaz, Espirit, denim mini dresses, and Virgin Records stores (not sure any of those are still around). It definitely doesn't hold up, though, and I don't think I would have enjoyed it quite as much as I did without all of the nostalgia.



2.5 stars

[ellemaddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read it when I was in the fifth grade and when I reread it now it brings back so many old memories, good and bad.

I remember back in fifth grade I had like the biggest crush on these 2 guys who shall remain nameless and I just wouldn't shut up about it. Honestly I'm a bit shocked I got through the fifth grade without getting strangled by my friends at least once. I talked about these 2 guys so much that I started code naming them Jack and David from the character in All-American Girl. I mean, it was crazy because I'd be like "Did you know that Jack looked back at me on math???" and my friend would be like "OK. which one is jack again?" Thinking back about it, I just want to scream. I led such an embarrassing life when I was little. But it wasn't all crazy and horrible, this book actually made me a whole lot braver. I actually got the guts to give one of my crush chocolate on valentines day (so I kinda gave everyone chocolates to cover my tracks but his was the biggest. I tried my best to be subtle about it, okay. I really did. Don't laugh at me) because I was like "OK if Sam can finally be brave enough to face David at the art class and she ended up with him then so can i" so I literally threw a huge pack of Toblerone at 'Jack' and I was like 'Here' and he looked positively scared because we've never even talked before and 'Jack' was like 'Whoa. This is for me?' and I said 'Yeah' then he said 'Thanks!' and at the end of the day I heard he started dating a senior and I cried then I swore off boys forever. The end.

I could relate to Sam because she is a middle child and so am i. Her sister is super popular and so was my sister! We're both treated like we're invisible and there's nothing special about us except the fact that we both just really really love art. I literally acted like Sam (the weird artistic girl who cares about stuff no one bothered to care about) and I even started comparing everyone I knew in real life to the characters from this book. That's how much I loved it. I even quoted words from it and spoke like the way the characters in this book did. I read this book at least twice every month and everytime my Mom caught me reading it she would roll her eyes and made a rude comment about me not having a life. Everytime we travelled I'd bring this book, Confession of a Teenage Drama Queen and Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass with me. Trust me, those 3 books are the most battered looking book I own and I'm not the kind of person who would treat my books with disrespect. I just loved those 3 books so much that they're almost always with me like a rag doll or something, I even dared to write my name at the first page of those books with glittered pen, curlicues and all.

Now I can't say that this book is the best book I've ever read or to say that this book is even better than so and so but it has sentimental value and it was one of the very first books I've read so it left such a great impression on me and that matters to me so 5/5 through and through, forever and always for this one no matter how much embarrassing shit it has put me through.

reread august 15th 2022. still so good!!!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha is caught selling celebrity portraits at school and so her mother decides that maybe she needs a creative outlet and signs her up for art classes. Samantha does not want to take art classes, she doesn't think that they would be any use to her, and when she runs it by her older sister's boyfriend, Jack (whom she's secretly in love with) he totally agrees with her. Samantha decides to just go to the first class and then she'll ditch it, but she finds that it is actually kind of interesting, and that there is also a boy her age. Then one day (after she has skipped class, and hung out in the CD store upstairs for an hour) she comes out and sees the president walking into a store, but what she also sees is a man with a gun aiming for his head. Before Samantha can really think about it, she tackles the guy with the gun and saves the president's life. Samantha, as she sees it, thinks her life is over.

Top Ten Things You Should Know Before You Read This Book:
1. It made me laugh.
2. I was highly amused by the top ten lists littered throughout the book telling the story of what Samantha had gotten herself into.
3. Some parts of the story were slightly unrealistic and made me want to gag.
4. I didn't care for the age different between Samantha and David.
5. I thought that sometimes Samantha got a little ahead of herself and needed to respect authority more.
6. I thought Samantha's sister was a pretty interesting character.
7. I didn't care for Samantha's sister's boyfriend, I thought that he needed to grow up and get over himself, I also couldn't see what her sister was doing hanging around this kind of scum.
8. I thought that the fact that Samantha was "in love" a little unrealistic for someone that young.
9. Overall I enjoyed this book.
10. I'd probably recommend it.

*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2008...

[Ardent Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, fast-paced, easy read and hilarious like all of Meg Cabot's books.
The story was a bit similar (the writing style) to the princess diaries series.
Highly recommended this for teens.

[Steph Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophomore Samantha Madison is redheaded, a middle child, left-handed, and, in her opinion, one of the only teenage girls left who have not succumbed to the soul-sucking fashion trends of modern-day society. She's a wannabe radical: she dyed her wardrobe black, and she's in love with her popular older sister Lucy's boyfriend Jack, who's as "radical" as they get.

Sam thinks it's the end of her already lousy world when, as a punishment for bad grades, her parents send her to art lessons at Susan Boone's. Sam's a good artist, but she doesn't take well to criticism, and so when on the first day Susan Boone accuses her of not drawing what she knows, Sam decides not to come back. Ever.

Which turns out to be a good thing, because while she’s hiding from Susan Boone at the following lesson, she manages to stop an assassination attempt on the president.

All of a sudden Sam is the “it” girl at her school, the US, and the whole world. The president awards her the position of teen ambassador to the UN, and his cute son David (who is also in Susan Boone's art class) thinks there's something special about Sam. Only Sam knows there's nothing very heroic about what she did. And she doesn't understand why David's being so nice to her, or why her heart skitters when he smiles at her, or why she feels so bad after David finds out she had used him to make Jack jealous at a party. Because she's totally in love with Jack.

Right?

What fun ALL-AMERICAN GIRL is! People of all ages will enjoy this book. Samantha is an amazing protagonist, and her narration will pull you along like nothing ever had. Highly recommended!

[Muse-ic ♬ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Mediocre.
Fun. Frustrating.
Also, I've noticed that most of Meg Cabot's teenage female protagonists are very nearly the same. Sure they look different, but they all asks the same questions, they all have the same tone, most of them are outcasts, and the boys they fall in love with are the boys that correspond to each other in the books.
Another thing they all have in common? They're all insufferably ANNOYING! Like Please Kill me, I can't take any more of this annoying.

Samantha Madison sees a guy pulling out a gun and preparing to shoot the president while she skips her art class. So she jumps him, saves the president, breaks her wrist, and meets the president's son.

That pretty much sums up the entire book. Aside from the attempted assassination, it's pretty fluffy and annoying.
Throughout the entire book, Sam sits there just moping because she thinks her older sister Lucy's boyfriend, Jack, is her soulmate. All us readers are like Helloooooo idiot. Knock knock! Anyone home upstairs? David is right there. Yoohooo, David! Give her another chance. She's just being dumb!

Anyways, there isn't much to talk about.
I don't like Jack.
Rebecca is weird.
I like Lucy.
Her parents are okay.
David is great.
Short and to the point.
The end.

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book about 15 years ago when I was 13. I remember loving it because it was just such a fun and ridiculous story. So I was curious to pick it back up again as a 28 year old to see if it’s something I could still enjoy.

All-American Girl follows the story of Sam Madison after she saves the President of the United States from an assassination attempt. In the aftermath she becomes famous overnight, is named as the Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and… could there be sparks flying between her and the President’s son David? It’s obviously a very ridiculous, not believable plot but I think it’s a totally fun read. I’d be way more critical of the book if it were published today, but looking back on it as a relic from 2002, I think it’s just a sweet, funny book.

The book is definitely dated, there’s so much early 2000s era girl hate in the book. Sam is artsy and alternative and is always putting down her sister Lucy for being a cheerleader and more “typically girly.” However Sam does evolve over the course of the book and her relationship with Lucy becomes really special, especially in book 2. There’s also an instance of the R word being used as an insult, which unfortunately was really common at that time.

One thing that I didn’t remember, but was actually nice to see, is that there is a little bit of actual politics in the book. Sam argues with the President on immigration when he only wants to present a nice sanitized view of the US while Sam wants to present the harsh realities of our country. I think if a book like this came out today it would definitely be way more political than this one was.

The one really annoying thing about the book is that Sam is obsessed with her sister’s boyfriend and thinks that he should be with her instead of Lucy. While there’s no cheating and she never actively does anything to try and break them up, it’s still annoying to read about.

I honestly don’t know if I recommend this or not. I’m most definitely being somewhat blinded by nostalgia since I have such fond memories of this book. It’s definitely not the most well-written or excellently plotted piece of YA fiction, but I still think it’s super fun. I will say, that if you decide to give it a go you really need to think about the fact that it came out in 2002 and don’t judge it by the current standards of YA.

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I so regret that I don't know a teenage girl (let's say, between 12-16 years old), who can read books in English. I would give her to read 'All-American Girl' immediately, no matter if she would want to or not ;-)

I split YA/teenage (for them, not only about them) novels for two main groups: serious books (often sad, angry etc.) and light, funny books (but not dumb). This one belongs to the latter.

It was deliciously funny (I have laughed out loud) and also really wise. It was a rather short book, but there was a place for family relationships, the way of becoming/being an artist, even glimpses of such issues like immigrants, hunger in poor countries. But most of all it was a really smart insight into teenage girls (at least some of them).

You may not like what Maria sees, but keeping everyone else from seeing it isn't going to make it any less real, or make the problem go away.

Meg Cabot did in here a really good job. Although most of the adult readers (probably) will not be able to read it because it was rather for young readers.

[Aly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been so long since I've read this and I'm glad I finally did a reread. Cabot's YA books are so cute and funny and they fly by. There are some things that date this a bit, but I still think it's a fun read and now I want to reread all her books!

Samantha is a bit odd, she thinks she's a deep artist and does things like dye her wardrobe black, avoid her peers, and act like no one understands her (except her older sister's boyfriend who she's secretly in love with.) Her lists of things are fun and I wish I could get her to draw me with a celebrity crush. It's hilarious that when she saves the president, her first thought is that she'll get in trouble. I do like that Samantha can be sarcastic and silly and think she's fairly relatable.

The plot is interesting and unique. I'm glad Samantha grew closer to her older sister in this, I love sibling bonds. She also matured a bit and I think she and David are cute together. This definitely geared me up to read the sequel and get more of Samantha!

[GrapedUp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook rating:4,5 stars
Content rating: 4 stars

Short, fast-paced and exactly what I imagined Samantha would sounds like!
I really, really enjoy this audiobook. A sweet reminiscent of what my taste as a tween is like!
I definitely couldn't appreciate this book as much as I appreciated it as a silly little girl, but I think it's still a reasonably good book to read for a silly, angsty tween :P

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samantha Madison, 15, saves the president of the United States from an assassination attempt, and the next thing you know we are in a Meg Cabot of The Princess Diaries type of young adult romance novel. She is sure she's in love with her sister's boyfriend, but everyone else is sure it's with David, the boy she met in her new art class that turns out to be no less than the president's son. It was fun, completely unbelievable and full of lists. However, when she got in trouble for selling pictures she drew of high school girls with celebrities and one was Jame van der Beek, I realized how quickly this book has become dated, now that he's an over 40 married father of five. My kids were too young to have crushes when this book was written, and now he's too old to be on most teen's radars.

[Bitchin' Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read this in years. It isn't exactly as I remember, but still entertaining. I am really glad I got through the phase of being like Sam fast when I was growing up--the lack of maturity, the know-it-all demeanor...it is grating now, whereas I had been all "YAS GRL" as a middle-schooler/high-schooler. Signs that 10+ years of maturing experiences change one's perspective.

[Emily Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man, I was SO obsessed with this book when I first read it. I remember thinking about it for a while after, which meant a lot to me at the time. It's been years since I've read it again, but I may have to now!

[Meredith, troll to a criminal degree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I likely wouldn't enjoy this book as much if I read it today, and for that reason I refuse to reread it. I was either 10 or 11 years old when I first read this book, and I remember identifying with the heroine, Sam, strongly. 5 stars for nostalgia.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022

2020

2019
Top 10 Reasons I Found This Book Amazing

1. Samantha is genuinely funny. She has a great sarcastic quality. Everything she says/thinks has a bit of an edge to it.

2. Samantha is a bit of a badass. Yes, she jumps on the back of a man with a gun, but even more brave than that was when she confesses how she feels about David.

3. Samantha's confused and messed up and anxious about boys (specifically Jack and David). She's exactly like I was with boys when I was in high school.

4. Samantha has a wonderful family. They are supportive (even her sisters, which is amazing and rare). Her mom and dad are a perfect balance of strict but loving.

5. David is book boyfriend goals. He is sweet and determined. He is forgiving and funny. He is smart and witty. Even after he finds out some not perfect aspects of Samantha he still likes her.

6. Samantha isn't your typical heroine where she is perfect and knows what she wants. She's imperfectly perfect. She has failures along the way but she learns from them.

7. Susan Boone. That is the art teacher I wanted. She's not only a great educator but when her student of three weeks shows up with bread at her house randomly, she's super cool with it.

8. Samantha is a great bestie. She's supportive of Catherine wanting to date a guy from the local arcade, even going as far as going to a popular girl (she hates her) party so that Catherine could feel cool.

9. Samantha is completely confident in who she is as a person which is super crazy for a high schooler. She doesn't care that she's not popular. In fact, she doesn't want to be popular. She just wants to be who she is, which is someone that likes Gwen Stafani and painting and wearing black clothes.

10. When she realizes she's wrong about something (#Jack) she not only apologizes bit she goes above and beyond to make up for her wrongdoings.

There really are probably more, but I'm guessing you may not have made it through the whole lost anyway lol. But, seriously, it's an amazing book and you should definitely give it a try if you haven't before

[Qian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samantha Madison was an ordinary teenager who has a great talent for drawing, but she has a weird habit is that she only wears black no matter what. Comparing to her two extraordinary sisters she is always the one who is being left out and forgot, but I guess she was satisfied with her life now. Samantha’s older sister named Lucy and she is one of the most beautiful and popular girl in her high school. Her younger sister is also remarkable because she is a genius who attend some special school for people who are highly intelligent. Samantha’s life is always peaceful and normal until she was forced by her mother to attend some drawing lessons which she absolutely hates them for the punishment of her dropping her grades in German class. Because of her suddenly decided to skip a lesson on drawing class in a rainy day, she ends up jumping a freaky guy who was trying to assassinate the president and save the president’s life. All of a sudden, Samantha Madison becomes a national hero.
By the coincidence, Samantha was attending the same art lesson as the president’s son who is very cute but geeky and he falls in love with her. But Samantha couldn’t accept him because she was in love with someone else who she couldn’t tell anybody.
This book is a great teenager drama book which I personally enjoyed reading it so much. As for the sudden change of her life, she can not be herself again because her peers and people in the nation look up on her and was holding a high expectations on her which she has never experience before and she was not sure about she should be doing what she want to do while her sense tell her to do the other. Try hard to keep up the expectation of the others is a good thing, but try not to push yourself too far because there is a limit on how far you could go and if you go past that limit you might get a negative effect instead and you might not always know what you have to gave up.

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is very interesting to look to from a political perspective. Well, like political time capsule perspective. The early 2000’s were a very different world, politically, for America and it shows in here. Ultra patriotism, right wing administration, pop culture references.

That is purely a Meg Cabot thing. Not a political thing. But still,interesting to see how things have changed in ten years. But I’m not going to bore you with that.

I really did like this book, even after all this time though. Sam probably isn’t my favorite character, but I think for who she is, Meg did an excellent job depicting her.

I think what I love best about All American Girl is that it gives a stupid character consequences for their bone headed idiocy. And Sam tries to make up for being a turd.

And boy is she a turd throughout a good chunk of this book.

One thing you’ll have to know going in is that this book is ridiculously dated. There are band references that only someone who liked the same music Sam did during that time period are going to get.

I’m not a huge Gwen Stefani fan, so it sort of went over my head then and now.

The romance, of course, was wonderful. When is it not in a Meg Cabot novel? And I really liked the portrayal of Lucy, a popular girl that is not a jerk but a good person. And I liked how Cabot basically threw it in Sam’s face that she was wrong about her sister.

You hardly ever see that in YA.

If you’re looking for a sweet little book that’s a nice reminder of the past, give All American Girl a try.

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lustige Story mit einer symphatischen aber doch manchmal nervenden Hauptcharakterin. (Zu fixiert auf sich selbst!) Und gewisse Top Ten Listen waren ein bisschen langweilig.

[маја]

i blame this book for that short period of time my childhood self thought america was cool

[Elizabeth Addison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to read this book like, once a month when I was a teen, and I still absolutely love it. I know a three-star rating doesn’t really reflect that affection, but this book is /so/ very silly, and if I was reading it for the first time in 2021 I would probably have hated it. That being said, I have a lot of respect for Meg Cabot wanting to write stories about flawed teenage girls being thrust into the spotlight for one reason or another and I think the political aspect of this book is actually pretty solid.

[bipasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 All American Stars. I know, i know, I couldn't get any more obvious and cheeky in the prefixes. My Math Exams tend to do that.

TOP TEN REASONS
Samantha Madison
IS IN DEEP SHIT
(okay, fine, I know every second reviewer has reviewed this way, but I want to, and will anyway...:P)

10. Her big sister is the most popular girl in school
9. Her little sister is a certified genius
8. She's in love with her big sister's boyfriend
7. She got caught selling celebrity portraits in school
6. And now she's being forced to take art classes
5. She's just saved the president of the United States from an assassination attempt
4. So the whole world thinks she is a hero
3. Even though Sam knows she is far, far from being a hero
2. And now she's been appointed teen ambassador to the UN

AND THE NUMBER-ONE REASON
Sam's LIFE IS OVER?
1. The president's son just might be in love with her.


(I totally love Suburgatory...)

Sam Madison has always been totally ordinary. Apart from having two weird sisters, of course. But then she does something utterly out of the ordinary - she stops a crazy pysco from assassinating the American President. Now Sam's an insant, world famous celebrity.
Sam Madison never knew life could change overnight. But that's exactly what happens when she when she saves the life of the leader of the free world,and finds herself (if highly reluctant and very unlikely) celebrity, not to mention teen ambassador to the United Nations, Sam finds herself hanging out at the White House and with the In Crowd.
Dining at the White House sure isn't easy for someone who only eats hamburgers and lives in combat boots. In fact, there's only one compensation - the President's son, David...


But after a disastrous ride and some unusual lessons, she finally begins to see things as they really are.

Already optioned by Disney, this novel has the same appeal as Meg Cabot's earlier book-turned-movie, The Princess Diaries; a winning teen girl thrust against her will into the national spotlight, broad humor, and a sarcastic take on America's youth culture. Though marred by an absurdly pat ending, it is an enjoyable romp. Cabot has the rare ability to write novels that appeal to young teens, written in first-person teenspeak no less, that don't cause adult readers to become irritated or nauseated, which has largely been the case with me over my last few reading experiences.

And to be honest, I would care if this book sucked because Samantha draws and I draw and end of story, we're soul sisters. Altho, I have actually never heard of spa or whatev music before...oh wait ska...isn't that a bird or something? Okay this paragraph is not appealing. Erase it from thine memory.

It's a pretty tame novel, pretty much any tween or teen girl will enjoy this fun read, and you have to admit, the plot (Angsty teen girl saves the president, falls in love with the first son, etc.) is pretty brilliant, making this a quick fluff read. All American Girl is an upbeat, coming of age story that should be read for generations to come(wait, that's too much.) Samantha is an outspoken role model that happened to be in the right place at the right time- and that very moment ends up changing her life. It was so exciting and realistic (except for, you know, saving the president from being killed). Meg Cabot writes exactly how teenage girls talk. Sam is so original and unique. I love how she not so glossed up her and David's relationship, how its not overpowered, altho the rebellious artist personas are a bit stereotyped and cliched. Although it has a predictable ending, getting there is all the fun.
To be honest, I thought I would hate this book. I mean, c'mon, I occasionally read "trashy" teen novels with romance and stuff, but this, you can say surprised me. A lot. I liked it. A lot. I laughed. A lot.

ALL AMERICAN GIRL was exactly what I expected it to be: A pleasant, welcome, lighthearted and entertaining respite from my pallid and jaded life and a hilarious and feel-good relief from all those serious apocalyptic and dystopian save-the-world-and-responsible-duty stuffy novels which make my mind reel.
Enjoy a little. Have girly problems. Be confused and messed up. Have fun. Be alive. For once...
But Sam srsly, America needs to know: Coke or Pepsi??
National Emergency. ;)

Also, FRISSON!!! *grins happily*

Also, That Raven.(Whoa, I say that like its a art movie.)

Also, why in hell don't they have a tumblr about All American Girl?! D'you know how awfully hard it is for dorks like us to review books?!
Argh.

[Deyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted here.

I've lost count on how many times I read this book, All-American Girl is one of my favorite Cabot's books and when I was younger a yearly re-read was obligatory. As usual with books/movies that are favorites of mine on the past, upon a re-read things change, some things that I remembered remained the same and others not so much.

The thing that most changed for me was the way Samantha voice sounded, she seemed a lot more judgmental and immature on the way she faced things, I noticed this is a trait of Cabot's heroines and when I was younger totally worked for me, but now not so much, of course this has to do with me growing up but also I would have liked to see more growth. Sam does face a sort of coming of age story, she definitely learns to be who she is and own it, fight for her ideas, but her voice and her way of facing things on a rushed way doesn't change.

David remains the same as on my memory, meaning perfect, I really think he is a great counter part for Sam, the way he helps her figure things out with who she wants to be and showing her ways to face things on a more smart way and not all fighting and kicking as Sam would usually choose. I also love how their romance never took the front seat of the novel, they have their cute scenes and stuff but this is ultimately Sam's story and it never read any other way. There is a sort of love triangle, if you can call it that, it's awkward and Sam takes ages to realize her true feelings and you will probably scream of frustration, because damn girl did you took your time but in the end it's all smiles and rainbows.

Other things that I loved where the presence of art, Sam is a painter and this is a major part of her life, I liked how this helped her to know herself better and how it was an essential part of her coming of age story. The relationships between Sam and her family, which contain her house maid, parents and sisters all of those really present on the novel; I specially liked the relationship between the three sisters, they are so different on the surface level but the way they tease each other and are always close together is great.

Super recommend this one for all Meg Cabot's fans, you definitely don't want to miss this one out and if you're looking for a brain candy look no more, this book is pure fun and entertainment, there is no real depth to it and is perfect as a weekend/vacation read. Just be aware that there is a sequel, which I 100% don't recommend, I read it only one time when it was released and it was terrible and I immediately forgot everything about it and don't want to ever revisit it again.

[Anushka · Rating 5 out of 5]

All American Girl is a sweet, funny and quick read that follows a 15 year old sophomore Samantha Madison.
The Plot:
Sam's life's nothing but boring- she isn't very popular at school, unlike her older sister Lucy and she isn't as brainy as her younger sister Rebecca. She's just stuck in the middle, ignored and forgotten. She's also being made to attend some weird art class by her parents.

Her life changes when she saves the President of America by jumping on the assasin, and she instantly becomes world-famous. Samantha doesn't really love her new popularity. Now, she has even bigger problems on hand- dinner at the White House for someone who lives on Hamburgers isn't easy, nor is being in the public eye when you only wear black clothes and combat boots. And perhaps the biggest problem is the President's son, David.
Stuck between all this and a hundred other things, Sam doesn't know how to get control of her life. Whom should she depend on? Is there a silver lining that she hasn't seen yet?

My Thoughts:
This book is one of my favorites! Meg Cabot has characterized Sam beautifully. I loved the Top Ten lists which Sam makes. I also really like David's character. Overall, this book was a quick, refreshing and laugh-out-loud read!

[Nancy]

The name of this book is called "The all american girl" by Meg Cabot. She saved the presidents life and she thinks that her life is so horrible!She gets a feeling that the presidents son. shes taking all of these art lessons and she doesn't like any bit of her life. Everything's just so crazy for her at school and at home. Her sister is hot according to everyone and she knows every bit about relationships and everything in between. Her younger sister is talented and she just don't think that she has everything that her other siblings have. she doesnt think that she has talent.

I think this was a really good book because its a different point of view the you would see yourself in. You would place yourself in that characters shoes and you would know exactly how shes feeling. its entertaining and makes you laugh you butt off.

[Kayla Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my 1st romance novel that I ever read.
It's really good, and really sweet.
I love ne kind of teen romance novel.

If U like to trick things up a lil' bit, wat u can do is when your reading a teen love story, make/Imagine the main girlfriend, or girl as u, and the boyfriend, or the guy love interest, as someone u like. Like a boyfriend, or even a singer or actor like I do :).

But I LOVE this book.
I'm writing my own teen novel write now, and I made the guy's name David, just like the guy's name is in this story!

*KJ
[ -

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a child I loved this novel but looking back now... it leans into one stereotype that isn't the best. The Spanish housekeeper.... Except for that, it's a cute novel about seeing what's in front of you and being yourself.

[Vee Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Relatable, funny, and captivating. It was meant for teens, but this "PG" story was full of PG-13 garbage that's literally ruining kids' lives. IE teens really need to hear about the female reproductive system in vulgar terms. Thanks for the respect and thoughtfulness, Cabot.

[Nadja]

Ich bin einfach keine ebook-Leserin, ich muss die Seiten fühlen und den Fortschritt physisch sehen können. :)