Note: This book is called The Bat Pack in the United States.
My daughter is still enjoying the My Sister the Vampire series, although I’m finding it really hard to purchase the latest ones! We ended up ordering the 8th book, Star Style, from a British publisher. There are at least three more that I’m trying to track down. (Update: I’m finding them on Kindle now, in addition to Scholastic.)
Star Style fits in with the tone set by the previous seven books. It’s cute and girly, only occasionally venturing into cloying. Ivy’s typically skeptical and introverted outlook helps a lot, from my point of view. But this book does little to distinguish itself from the books that preceded it.
It’s the premiere of the movie that Olivia had a minor role in, along with her movie star boyfriend, Jackson. They’re still keeping their relationship a secret, on the advice of Jackson’s agent, Amy. This gets predictably difficult. Also, Ivy has caught the attention of a producer who wants Olivia to star in a movie about twins—how awesome would it be if he could cast actual twins in the role? Ivy is torn between giving her sister the opportunity of a lifetime and really not wanting to be an actress. And there are award shows, limos, fancy dresses, and a trip to Hollywood.
Many of the things I appreciate about the series continue in this one—the boyfriends are minor characters rather than simply plot devices. Differences are embraced, even when not understood. Secrets are weights better left behind than carried with you.
SPOILER ALERT: Things you might want to know before suggesting this to your kid
Not much, really. It’s fairly harmless and doesn’t break new ground in the series.
Family
The relationship between the sisters is the focus of the series, and that continues here. They both struggle with following their own desires while supporting their sister in following hers.
Mr. Vega is the main parental figure in this novel—I wonder if Olivia’s parents are feeling left out? But this big blended family continues to get along well and even opens up to Mr. Vega starting to date again.
Fashion & Beauty
I guess I don’t really care what the characters are wearing unless it’s critical to the plot (Olivia getting emergency help to salvage her coffee-stained gown before stepping onto the red carpet, for instance) so the repeated notes of cute outfits and how pretty or handsome everyone is didn’t do much for me. But as my daughter develops her own fashion sense, I can see how this might appeal. People who aren’t positive characters tend to have fashion faux pas, such as copying trends or wearing too much makeup. There’s an underlying issue here I might have concerns about if I thought about it harder, but it’s a small detail that I think does less harm than, say, looking at the covers of the magazines at the checkout at the grocery store.
Hollywood
Olivia is entranced by the red carpet, the awards, the glamor, although she makes it clear that what she most wants to do is act, and it’s repeatedly pointed out that she’s quite good at that—she’s more than the latest pretty face. Ivy provides a counter-point to this world, looking at the hypocrisy and self-serving attitude many people demonstrate. When a famous producer takes an interest in the twins, Ivy is uncomfortable with the way people suddenly defer to her.
Amy, Jackson’s agent who has been intent on keeping his relationship with Olivia a secret, finally comes around in this book. She’s nearly been a villain in previous books, but when Olivia’s acting career takes off, Amy becomes her agent and will do anything to help her. Olivia realizes that Amy has always had Jackson’s best interests at heart, too.
Mean Girls
Charlotte, the head cheerleader, continues to be awful, and Olivia continues to not want to fully turn her back on a fellow cheerleader no matter what she does. However, in the end, Charlotte redeems herself to some extent, even if it’s to get revenge on a mutual enemy rather than to actually help Olivia.
Jessica, the rival starlet, has nothing redeeming about her. She’s simply an awful human being who will stop at nothing to destroy her competition.
Romance
Jackson and Brendan continue to be model boyfriends. I suppose there’s something refreshing about not having boys be at the center of all the drama, although sometimes I wish they were a little more complex. The romance is rated G.
When Olivia and Jackson’s relationship is suddenly outed, Olivia briefly faces the hatred of thousands of disillusioned fangirls. However, when she’s upfront and honest about who she is, how they met, and why they kept it secret, the fans are won over to her side.
Recommendation
As part of a series, this book is fine. It doesn’t do much to advance the overall plot (which we’re reminded has only covered a few months so far) or give insight into the characters, but it works as a return to the vamp and bunny world of Franklin Grove, even if that world is starting to feel just a little too perfect with problems that tie themselves up just a little too neatly.
Daughter update:
Although she enjoyed it, my girl was a bit bored by this one. She felt like it was mostly a rehash in plot and theme, and she wanted more depth from Jessica’s character—straightforward villains can be boring. She also thought it focused too much on Olivia, at the expense of Ivy, which is a valid point. That said, if we can get our hands on them, she’ll probably continue on with the series, especially as future books take the twins back to Transylvania.
Star Style: My Sister the Vampire by Sienna Mercer
Published in 2011 by Egmont UK Limited
8th in a series (see here for the full list of the series)
Read my daughter’s copy
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