The Elite Paperback - 2008

Summary

Media reviews

'Banash is destined for great things.'
Scott Bradfield, author ofThe History of Luminous Motion

'If you love all the drama, scandal, and high-end fashion of Gossip Girl as much as we do, chances are you'll want to check out author and Manhattan native, Jennifer Banash's new fiction novel The Elite...The novel, set in Manhattan, will introduce girls into the super-exclusive world of New York City's high-society teen cliques. In The Elite, the first novel in the new series, girls will meet Casey McCloy, who moves to a luxury Manhattan apartment from the midwest to live with her grandmother and attend Meadowlark Academy, which is run by it girl Madison MacAllister. Madison, complete with popularity, a pretty face, and platinum blonde hair reigns as Casey's classmate and neighbor, and something tells us Casey's city transformation will only go as far as Madison lets it.'
--Seventeen.com

'The Elite is Pretty in Pink for the millennium generation, somewhat akin to the television show Gossip Girl. Casey is a small town girl, used to shopping at Target and department stores. Living with the elite of Manhattan, for whom money is no object, is a definite challenge. But she's met three potential new friends, Madison, Sophie, and Phoebe, and, even better, a potential new boyfriend, Drew! Unfortunately, Drew is still somewhat dating Madison, which immediately puts Casey in Madison's bad books. But before you think Mean Girls, Ms. Banash humanizes all of the characters, and readers get a glimpse into Madison's psyche just as much as they do Casey's. At the end of the day, money can do many things, but it can't help you escape from life or heartbreak.'
--Romance Reviews Today

'The Elite is a great start to a new series by Jennifer Banash! It was a bit heavy on the fashion brands and the language is a bit strong (but that's how it is for many teens nowadays in the US) but the characters all had some very interesting stories to tell. I loved how the point of view switched between the characters so that we could get a bigger picture of their lives. Most of them deal with issues that plenty of teens have and it was nice to get to know more about the others, besides Casey it definitely helped develop the characters more, and readers will find it easier to understand these dynamic teens! They all had realistic, believable feelings and actions that were wonderfully expressed throughout the novel! It was also great to see down-to-earth Casey shine and show that you don't need to be rolling in gold to be happy with yourself. There's more to even the rich and popular kids than all that glitz and glamour they live with! And it would seem that Casey has it easy with just her frizzy-hair problems, after seeing what some of those oh-so-perfect teens have to deal with, behind their sophisticated and happy façadewealth may not necessarily guarantee happiness'
--The Book Vault Blog

'This book was awesome. I couldn't put it downThe characters are extremely real and, in most cases, likeable. Yes, the girls were rich, but money wasn't the main focal point of the storyI found myself laughing out loud a lot and just smiling at what Sophie would say, or how Casey would act. This was a great first novel from Jennifer Banash and I desperately wish that the sequel, In Too Deep, was already on my bookshelf'
--www.teensreadtoo.com

Citations

• Romantic Times, 08/01/2008, Page 55
• School Library Journal, 08/01/2008, Page 115
• Voice of Youth Advocates, 06/01/2008, Page 136