Angie SpadyCatie Conrad: Faith, Friendship and Fashion Disasters (Desperate Diva Diaries Series)

I am training my kids to favor books over gadgets, but it is more challenging these years than when i myself were young, with the advent of technology nowadays. So one of the tricks is give them books in flashy colors and appealing facade. But you have to have wonderful content of course, as it defeats the purpose if what they read is just trash in a pretty cover. This book is not that kind!It is about a young girl facing everyday challenges and using her Christian faith to get her through it all. It mentions values and references bible verses for situations that are hard to handle for a young girl— as how it should be. We are raising kids who wants to be anchored into the faith, and this book is attuned to that. So yes! More of this please, and we’ll gladly get the whole series!!!!

Typical Catie: "Then I got to work on cutting out fabric for Sophie’s apron. Whenever Mom sees fabric on sale, she buys a few yards of something she thinks I might like. Sophie’s favorite color is orange, so I picked out a fruity print in orange and pink, and I’m going to paint an orange S on the pocket. I can’t wait to see her face when I finally finish it." Life would be SO much easier without any brothers and their pet skunks, classmates who think they're the best, and moms who say "no" every time you ask for a new phone. Katie tries to be patient, but it's so hard when the Germ (a.k.a. little brother Jeremy) is driving her nuts. And upon all that "normal" stress there's a dance to get ready to and an art show Caries absolutely has to enter. She IS the next famous fashion designer, right? Catie Conrad: Faith, Friendship and Fashion Disasters is written as a diary full of illustrations. Sometimes the constant capitalization of words made it hard, but the story was still interesting. From spa disasters to mission trips, it is full of a sixth-grader's secret thoughts. The good news is that the book is founded in Christian truths. Catie learns that God is in control and that she should be less selfish. This is the first in the Desperate Diva Diaries Series. The second is Catie Conrad: How to Become the Most (un)Popular Girl in Middle School.

I bought these for my daughter, and she loved them! The arrived on a Saturday and she finished both books by Sunday evening. She is in second grade but she reads at a 6th grade level so it is a challenge to give her books that are at her reading level but appropriate for her maturity level/age. Our only issue now is that we both want the story to continue!

It is a great book for learning scripture. It brings you into a whole new adventure each time. I would totally recomend reading tis book

Great book for any preteen girl who is a fan of Dork Diaries!

Perfect condition

My daughter loved this book! We hope she continues adding to the series.

Sometimes I'll hear parents say, "I don't care what they're reading, I'm just glad they're reading something!" But not all reading material for tweens and middle schoolers is created equal. Even when I was scanning the library shelves as a ten-year-old, my mom was on the alert for inappropriate content and books that were less literature and more teen dating soap operas on paper. Now, parents need to be more cautious than ever! So, I was excited to see that Angie Spady has a new series out for tweens and middle school girls called The Desperate Diva Diaries.Her first installment in the series Faith, Friendship, and Fashion Disasters! introduces us to Catie Conrad, a Christian middle school girl who is creative and funny and hopes to be a fashion designer. When her journalist-dad gives her a blank diary, Catie starts filling it with her thoughts and her crazy experiences along with her drawings. She stresses over art projects, a mean girl at school, a brother with a pet skunk, and all of the drama of an upcoming dance and turns to her diary, to Scripture and to prayer to help her through.The book is funny and Catie herself is a great character. She isn't perfect, and she knows that. When she struggles with jealousy of another girl at school or anger and impatience with her brother, she admits it and even adds it to her prayer list or finds a verse that helps her give it to God. I love the way the book points girls back to God in whatever problems they face. Catie also is blessed by a great family with loving and wise parents and supportive friends, a helpful church network and teachers who believe in her. I love that Catie's family goes on a missions trip together, and that experience helps change her perspective on the circumstances she faces back at home and at school.My nine-year-old daughter has read The Dork Diaries, as well as this first book in The Desperate Diva Diaries series, so I asked her which she likes better. She didn't even hesitate and said that The Dork Diaries were more original and ultimately funnier. She's a great Christian kid who keeps her own diary and has that supportive church network and family that Catie has, so it's not like she's tainted by the world. I think she enjoyed this book, but she hit on the same exact issue that I found: So often Christian books and Christian music offers us little more than copies of someone else's original idea. I'm afraid that's one of my only quibbles with The Desperate Diva Diaries and it's what my nine-year-old daughter was able to identify also. Is it a fun read? Is it a 'clean' read that I'm happy my daughter is reading? Yes, absolutely! Was it truly original and creative? Well, not so much. It's really just someone else's idea with a Christian covering on it, and that's a little disappointing.It's also forced and unrealistic at times, like the author felt that in order for this to be for Christian girls, it couldn't just be quality writing, a good story, great characters with clean content.....it had to actually offer a Scripture verse and Bible lesson every few pages. I don't think that's true, and after a while, it gets a little 'old.' It also seems like everyone in Catie's world lives in a Christian 'bubble.' Her teachers are Christian. All of her friends go to her same youth group. Her parents take her on missions trips. Even the mean girl in the story is just going through a hard time when her dad lost his job. It helps keep the story light and happy and 'churchy,' but the truth is that our kids are usually at school with non-Christians, sometimes actual bullies, and maybe their teachers don't share their faith. Maybe that's something Catie will deal with in future books.All in all, this is a book I'd definitely buy for my tween daughter and would love to have my girls read. In a way, they have a role model right there on the pages of what it's like to be a Christian girl who isn't perfect, but who is growing in her faith and growing up at the same time. Moms and daughters can also read it together and let it open up their own conversations about friendships and goals and how God and faith guides are perspective, relationships and choices.I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”