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All-American Girl
(All-American Girl #1)
by
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 ...more
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 ...more
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Paperback, 398 pages
Published
July 22nd 2003
by HarperTrophy
(first published June 7th 2002)
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Start your review of All-American Girl (All-American Girl, #1)

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.
...more

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 ...more
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 ...more


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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 ...more

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-Ameri ...more
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-Ameri ...more

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 interestin
...more

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.
...more
The story was a bit similar (the writing style) to the princess diaries series.
Highly recommended this for teens.
...more

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 Bo ...more
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 Bo ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

Jan 05, 2020
Karin
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novel,
american,
young-adult,
21st-century,
kapk,
american-author,
american-authors,
fiction,
romance,
novels
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 picture
...more

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 f
...more

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 gu ...more
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 gu ...more

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.
...more

Sep 13, 2013
Bipasha
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Bipasha by:
Especially people who look down upon Chick Lit
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 bein ...more
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 bein ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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, ...more
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, ...more

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!
...more

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 th ...more
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 th ...more

Nov 30, 2020
Anushka
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves a short and refreshing read
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 ...more
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 ...more

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 fl ...more
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 fl ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 ...more
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 ...more

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 sh
...more

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.
...more

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.
...more

Jul 17, 2020
The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori)
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
2009-releases
Review to come!

Nov 21, 2020
Madeleine
added it
the older i get the more i appreciate what a genius meg cabot is in crafting narratives that resonate with teens??? i remember sneaking staying up late reading this and other cabot books in my youth — they felt addictive and immersive! as an adult it feels like the president sucks lmao... i suppose it's realistic that the teen would not really know or care what was going on with the president beyond his bad politics in the art show bc she's trying to bang his kid (but you need to wait for book t
...more

Meg Cabot's books are such time-capsules, which can make them delicious bits of nostalgia...but it can also reflect less delightful stuff, like use of the r-word, though admittedly the heroine of this book does think about how that's not a good word to use.
Mostly, All-American Girl skewed to the younger side of YA, and it reminded me heavily of the weaker aspects of The Princess Diaries. Sam's convinced she's in love with her sister's boyfriend for such a long time, and her character arc feels s ...more
Mostly, All-American Girl skewed to the younger side of YA, and it reminded me heavily of the weaker aspects of The Princess Diaries. Sam's convinced she's in love with her sister's boyfriend for such a long time, and her character arc feels s ...more

May 04, 2008
Kayla Hamilton
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
neone who likes 2 read teen romance novels
Recommended to Kayla by:
myself. I bought it. Then after a yr or so of buying it, I got b
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 nam ...more
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 nam ...more

It is meant for YA readers. But I liked it. It had almost the same template as that of The princess diaries series. A high-schooler with her own funny ideals, not so popular in school, has a crush on somebody, does something that propels her to be the toast of the town, another boy walks into her life, confused as to who she really is in love with, and finally a happy ending for everybody. Meg Cabot's trademark humor and smooth writing keep the book fun. It is not hilarious like some of The Prin
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA 2000s drawing competition of back garden. [s] | 5 | 18 | Mar 20, 2020 11:12AM | |
Play Book Tag: [PollBallot] All American Girl by Meg Cabot 3 stars | 1 | 10 | Jan 05, 2020 06:51PM | |
Madison Mega-Mara...: #44 - All American Girl | 1 | 2 | Feb 29, 2016 12:17PM | |
lots of fun | 11 | 53 | Jan 18, 2016 03:19PM | |
sis2019: Evelyn Chua Informal Review 2 | 2 | 5 | Jan 13, 2016 10:22PM | |
A Million More Pages: YA BR - All American Girl (All American Girl #1) - Nov 15 | 10 | 12 | Dec 03, 2015 08:58AM | |
YA Buddy Readers'...: All american girl by Meg Cabot --> Starting 14th March 2015 | 26 | 28 | Mar 17, 2015 04:57AM |
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 flun ...more
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 flun ...more
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It really is. All the signs are there. I can't sleep- not even burgers. Every time the phone rings, my pulse leaps... But it's never for me, it's never him.”