Celebrity Status: Books about Fame

Celebrity Status: Books about Fame

This article relates to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

As one half of the famed Vlogbrothers (a popular YouTube channel with over three million subscribers), Hank Green is no stranger to internet celebrity, albeit perhaps not quite at the level that his protagonist, April May, achieves in his debut novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Though Green's debut is aimed at adult readers (with cross-over appeal for younger readers), the theme of sudden and reluctant fame is common in young adult titles. For example:

Airhead by Meg Cabot: After tomboy Emerson Watts is swapped into the body of supermodel Nikki Howard, her life is turned upside down, and she must learn to deal with all of the ups and (major) downs of fame. From The Princess Diaries to All-American Girl to Teen Idol, bestselling author Meg Cabot certainly loves the suddenly famous trope, but Airhead adds a darker layer than most of her books through the mystery that surrounds Emerson's sudden body swap.

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee: Just like April May, the protagonist of Ormsbee's novel, Tash Zelenka, has a video go viral after her web series "Unhappy Families" becomes a sudden hit. Fans of Anna Karenina will enjoy the book, as "Unhappy Families" is an adaption of the Russian classic.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway: In Audrey, Wait! the main character gains sudden notoriety not because of something that she has done, but as the result of a song written about her. After her ex's song about their breakup hits the top of the charts, Audrey finds herself swarmed by paparazzi, and the tabloids obsessed with her every action. While fame might seem glamorous, this novel explores its many downsides.

Waste of Space by Gina Damico: Although reality TV shows are finding more and more creative ways to get views, the reality television premise in Waste of Space takes this trend to a new dimension, blasting ten teens off into space and allowing the audience to watch the aftermath. If you enjoy the science fiction elements in An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, then Waste of Space is definitely the one to check out next.

Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner: In Can't Look Away, Torrey Grey is famous for her popular vlogs on beauty. However, when her sister is killed in an accident, strangers online begin to blame Torrey. Just like An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Can't Look Away focuses not just on what it feels like to be famous, but what it feels like to be infamous.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: Cline's novel will appeal to young and older readers alike, and concerns a teenage protagonist, Wade Watts, seeking to win a cash prize by competing in a virtual reality video game contest. As Wade excels at solving the puzzles in the game, his notoriety as a player makes him the target of real life death threats as others seek to push him out of the running for the contest.

Filed under Reading Lists

This "beyond the book article" relates to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It originally ran in October 2018 and has been updated for the July 2019 paperback edition. Go to magazine.