THE QUEEN OF COOL

Albert Camus meets Mariah Fredericks in this smart, edgy take on one adolescent’s search for identity and meaning in life. The mastermind behind Pajama Day, the lone streaker at the high-school dance and IT girl, Libby suddenly finds that her cluster of reality-show wannabes, shallow friends and casual hookups leave her bored and empty inside. On a whim, she signs up for an internship at the Los Angeles Zoo. Among her socially and fashion-challenged zoo team, she meets Tina (aka Tiny), a Little Person with big confidence and dreams of being an actress. As Libby eventually becomes the last to hear the latest cool plan of the day, she wonders how Tina and her nerdy companions create passion in their everyday lives. When Libby’s “friends” jeopardize Tina’s intern position, she unexpectedly takes the heat and discovers that life among the common folk is actually quite extraordinary. (Fiction. YA)