Being a hero is hard work, especially when nothing is going your way. That’s exactly why Samantha Madison is in deep trouble. An intriguing and thrilling chick-lit novel, All-American Girl is great to cuddle up with on the couch. It’s about a coy young girl who in the blink of an eye gathers up enough courage to save the president; this is an adventure worth taking.

I love this book because I can really relate to the main character, Samantha. She is just an average teen who isn’t popular like her older sister or as smart as her little sister. She adores Gwen Stefani and is an adept artist. Author Meg Cabot turns Samantha’s life into an appealing adventure.

I also love this book because of the intriguing beginning: “She says she didn’t mean to. She says she found them in my room, and they were so good she couldn’t help showing them to Mom.” This spellbinding opening made me want to keep reading. I love the lists Samantha makes before each chapter on a broad range of topics. Her top-ten lists focus on things like why she hates her sister and reasons she wishes she was Gwen Stefani. In my opinion, these lists are the best part of the book.

This breathtaking book won numerous awards, including the New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age Award and the Book Sense Pick Award. The idea for this book came to Cabot when she visited Washington, D.C. She began wondering what it would be like to grow up in a town where so many important people like the president lived, and so she began to write a story about it. Published in 2002, All-American Girl is just one of the many must-reads by Cabot.

All-American Girl has an important theme: heroes and celebrities are average people who lead normal lives. To get to know Samantha better and find out how she balances her wacky life, pick up a copy of this book and become a part of the adventure.