Melody Carlson Diary of a Teenage Girl: Road Trip

Diary of a Teenage Girl: Road Trip

Melody Carlson

Multnomah, Jan 2004, $12.99

ISBN: 1590521420

The Christian rock group Redemption is on its way to fame and glory when it signs a major contract and tour as the opening act for the highly regarded male group, Iron Cross. As the trio travels the road by bus, they will find trials and tribulations riding with them.

Chloe, Allie and Laura soon find the grind of touring taking its toll on each one of them. Laura seems off kilter, turning introspectively moodier by the minute. Chloe looks like she is ready to bolt for home every time a crowd gathers around the trio though she finds some solace with Allie's mom and her Down's syndrome brother. However, the one in deepest troubled waters is Allie, whose showing a growing dependence on drugs that could destroy her career and end Redemption's dreams of success.

The latest teenage girl novel, ROAD TRIP, is an engaging look at the troubles of teen life especially those under the spotlight of fame. The story line may be Chloe's diary, but actually is mostly told in third person narration between the key cast members as each suffers from doubts and woes that make them so human instead of preachy paragons. Melody Carlson provides a warm, but frank Christian teen tale that will provide plenty of enjoyment yet inspire young and old to more than just tolerate others. Anyone who has not read the previous novels of this motivating interesting series such as I AM CHLOE will, like this reviewer, want to obtain them.

Harriet Klausner