Notable: Skipper's Revenge by Julie Murphy Teahan

Book Title: Skipper's Revenge
Author: Julie Murphy Teahan



I first read this book as part of a bzzCampaign through bzzAgent. I enjoyed it so much, I recommended it for one of the book clubs I participate in. We had a great time reading and discussing this book.

Back of book:

I never got my chance to be Barbie. My fate as a Skipper was forever sealed.
Since 1950, seven out of every ten girls in America have owned a Barbie doll. Paige Sheehan was not one of them. Her mother believed that playing with a doll whose breasts made up half of her body mass was inappropriate for a nine-year-old girl.

During her childhood, Paige was forced to sneak to a friend’s house for her Barbie fixes, where she was directed to play Barbie’s less glamorous younger sister, Skipper. Now more than twenty years later, Paige has a theory that women are either Barbies or Skippers—and she still longs to play the superior role. Barbie women come readily stocked with beauty and accessories galore. Skippers are the younger sisters, impatient to grow up from their awkward adolescence and fill the high-heeled shoes of their glamorous sibling.

Confronted with a failed relationship, a dying father, and a legal entanglement, Paige is forced to look beyond packaging. Unlike Barbie, born with an empire of houses, clothes, and companions, Paige discovers the value of being what she considers to be less than perfect. With a new love interest and a renewed sense of self, Paige takes on the seemingly Barbie-dominated world around her with wit, style, and determination.

I found this book to be refreshingly fun to read, as well as highly entertaining.

True to its title, the main character Paige Sheehan compares all people in life to Mattell's Barbie doll or her younger sister Skipper . . . describing herself as Skipper, lacking the perfect figure, perfect hair, great wardrobe and stylish boyfriend.

Throughout the book, Paige overcomes one challenge after another, including a rediculous lawsuit, boyfriend troubles, and a significant death in her family, showing us that it is these things that help to build her character.

I loved this book from start to finish and would challenge men and women alike to take a peak into the world Julie Murphy Teahan has created for Paige - you might find more than you expected!