GLAMOUR

The fifth volume in the On the Runway Series continues the saga of Erin and Paige Forrester, two teenagers who have scored their own TV show focused on the dynamic and fast-paced world of fashion. While older sister Paige thrives in the spotlight and exudes confidence, the younger Erin struggles sometimes to reconcile her worldly life with her strong Christian faith. Many of Erin’s roles—her role in the show as well as in her relationships with her friends, family and coworkers—become a little more defined in this volume. Talk of clothes, accessories and fashion-world intrigue abounds, but it is overshadowed by more personal dramas, including a coworker’s battle with cancer and a clash of morals between Erin and Paige, brought on by Paige’s decision to allow her fiancé to sleep over at their apartment despite Erin’s protests. Carlson’s plot intimates that while Erin’s strident opposition to premarital sex might not be popular, it is certainly prudent, since negative consequences befall Erin’s sexually active best friend as well as her sister Paige. Though Erin may know how she feels about sex, there are definitely some moral gray areas having to do with honesty, loyalty and emotional intimacy that she contends with here. Good, clean, didactic fun for readers who like their LA Candy with a strong Christian flavor. (Christian chick lit. YA)