Serena van der Woodsen returns to NY after being expelled from boarding school. Rumors run rampant through the halls of Constance Billard School for Girls regarding why she was kicked out. The rumors are nasty and vicious. Serena notices that people who used to be her friends are now acting differently towards her. While reading about the exploits of Serena, Blair, Nate and Chuck, you are introduced to "gossip girl" who intermittenly dishes the dirt about New York's elite. I don't watch the TV show and I am not familiar with the books. I got this book on a whim from the library. The main problem I have with this book is that it is aimed at 9th graders and up. This book is filled with foul language, sexual situations (borderline date rape), and drug and alcohol use. From what I've read online, the Gossip Girl series is based on the author's experience from attending private school in Manhattan. I don't have a problem with the author basing the books on her life experience; I have a problem with who the target audience is. While reading Gossip Girl, I felt like I was reading Sex and the City: The Teen Years. These teens had no parental guidance and were allowed to live life as an adult. They attended bars and parties where underaged drinking was allowed and not questioned. As a parent, there is no way I would let my 14 year old read any of these books. The Gossip Girl series appear regularly on the ALA's challenged books list. I can see why. Although I don't agree with the targeted age group for these books, I still don't think that these books should be banned. It is up to the parents to be informed and aware of what their kids are reading. Kids are going to sneak and read books that they shouldn't be reading; it's what kids do. I remember reading Forever by Judy Blume as an 8th grader knowing that the content was too mature for my young eyes. But where, in my opinion, Forever dealt with teen sexuality in a mature and honest manner, I think that Gossip Girl is completely gratuitous without consequences. That may be due to the lifestyle these teens live. Look at Paris Hilton. I can easily see her as one of the girls in Gossip Girl. My thoughts:The book was a quick and easy read. I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either. The ending of the book is open-ended, indicating that the next book will pick up where the first one left off. I don't think I will be reading anymore of this series. I never had an interest in the TV show and I have no interest in finding out how the lives of Serena, Blair, Chuck and Nate turn out.
