We were soarin', flyin', but then we dropped like a buzzard to the canyon floor
Written: Sep 29 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Follows the movie storyline closely
Cons: You name it, it's a con.
The Bottom Line: If you really want to spend money on the HSM craze, get the DVD.
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| imagine_stars's Full Review: Disney, Helen Perelman, Beth Beechwood, Catharine ... |
Oh, Disney, you multi-faceted money-grubber, you. When I'm around you, I can never decide whether to sigh in happiness or pinch your little cheeks or run far away with my wallet duct-taped to my stomach for safe-keeping.
I've been a Disney-lover since I was little, and I still own the Beauty and the Beast bedsheets. And I don't know much about Disney and how it uses its money, but I do know that this company knows how to capitalize on an idea. Thus it is with High School Musical, the Disney Channel Original Movie that debuted in January 2006. Catering to the junior high/high school crowd, this movie became more of a success than anyone ever imagined, and suddenly, there was a flood of HSM merchandise: lip gloss, CDs, ten million editions of the DVD, pillow cases, cups. From t-shirts to socks to umbrellas--just stamp Zac Efron's face on it, and it's sure to sell.
Of course, as with any kid-friendly movie, there's got to be a book. Or many books. The picture version, the junior novel, the remix edition, the this-is-the-same-thing-you-just-bought-but-it's-got-a-shiny-cover-and -Vanessa-Hudgen's-secret-recipe-for-flan edition. Confession: I liked the movie (yes, I own it), I liked the soundtrack (yes, I own that, too), and I've found that knowing about HSM suddenly connects me to every American girl between the ages of 4 and 24. So I tried the book, even though I'm leery of motion picture novelizations.
Yeah, just like the HSM underwear or the HSM bulletin board, High School Musical: The Junior Novel is just another effort to sell some poorly made junk to all those girls who can't live without covering their bedrooms in HSM propaganda.
The storyline follows the movie pretty closely. Brainy Gabriella and athletic Troy are reluctant to attend a New Year's Eve party. When their parents force them to "go have some fun," they both end up singing karaoke in front of a crowd...and finding that they sound amazing together! But it's just one night, and Troy and Gabriella won't see each other again.
That is, until Gabriella and her mom move, and she ends up attending Troy's high school. Of course the two are excited to reunite, but their separate interests are bound to keep them apart. Troy's all wrapped up in basketball, and Gabriella's getting involved in the science decathlon. There's also super-snob Sharpay trying to dig her claws into Troy. But she's the one feeling the sting when Troy and Gabriella befriend the composer of the school musical...and accidentally try out!
As the two fall in love (or maybe just like), Troy and Gabriella's friends attempt to sabotage their relationship--to keep them from being distracted. And Sharpay messes with things, too, to keep them from making musical callbacks. Will Troy and Gabriella be able to shun their labels and do something unexpected? Can a hardcore scholar and an athlete really make it work?
As with the movie, the plot is a bit predictable. It is loaded with good messages about breaking away from the status quo, doing what you love to do, and standing up for the right thing. Even if it's cheesy, it's fun, it's wholesome, and it's catchy (no matter how much you don't want to admit it :).
But here's where the book falls short: The writing is nothing special. The dialogue is basically word-for-word the movie script, which means that friend Chad gets a lot of clever lines, but aside from that, it's blah. I wouldn't say that it's torturous to read, but there's very little creativity and not much style. A book usually needs to work harder than a movie because it doesn't have the pictures, the lights, the sound--and if the writer isn't adding flair with description, it'll fail to be compelling as a book.
That's another thing: I don't think this book could stand on its own. That is, if I hadn't seen the movie, I'm not sure I'd get the book. There's not enough detail to make the plot operate smoothly; the author does try to connect all the situations, knot all the strings, but there's hardly enough room in the large-fonted 139 pages to cover all the little things.
The characters have very little depth, and the author constantly switches viewpoints. We know what Mrs. Darbus is thinking, we know what Chad is thinking, we know what Troy is thinking; it might work for some stories, but in this one, the constant shifting loses finesse. In places where it seems imperative to know Troy or Gabriella's thoughts, we're seeing inside some random character's head. It's like observing a story rather than being sucked into it yourself.
Also, how do you transform a musical--key word: music--into a book? In this case, poorly. Gabriella will be walking heart-broken down the hallway, and the author will suddenly tell us that she's choosing to "express herself in song," followed by a stanza of lyrics. Awkward. It works better when Troy and Gabriella are on stage together and we get a few snippets of lyrics, but still. Those that aren't familiar with the soundtrack will probably find this more annoying than endearing.
The Junior Novel is decent, but not great. It may satisfy the hunger of an obsessed fan, but it doesn't measure up to the quality of the movie. And I definitely wouldn't give it to someone unfamiliar with the movie, since there are waaay better books they could be reading. I'm going to give it two stars, because it does include 8 pages of colored snapshots from the movie, and because--well, because some less-discriminating readers might enjoy it. Worse things have been written! (Unfortunately, I'll bet that a big corporation is behind a lot of those worse things.) Disney, Disney, Disney. I wish I didn't like you so much because sometimes you just bother me.
This review is part of the Fight Illiteracy Write-Off. Please check out the details by clicking here and see what other books are going to help combat illiteracy!
(P.S. I picked this book for the write-off because I figured some HSM enthusiast would appreciate it. That was before I realized it was a bomb. Anyway, here's hoping that some child's love for the movie can accelerate his/her love for reading, even if it's through a mediocre thing like this. And, to make up for it, I'm also going to send a few books that are wonderful.)
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
imagine_stars
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 in Books |
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Member: Shar
Location: North Dakota
Reviews written: 191
Trusted by: 43 members
About Me:
"Writing is seeing. It is paying attention." -Kate DiCamillo
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