Book of the Month: Making the Cut

Making the Cut: by Margaret Gurevich

I think this is a well done cover. The figure in the middle is nicely framed by the watercolor splashes. The font for the title is fun while the font for the series name suggests the fashion world this book is about.

Chloe Montgomery has been designing clothes since she was little. When her favorite show, Design Diva, announces they will be having a teen version, she has to try out. She's chosen to go on the show along with her hometown rival, Nina, and thirteen other contestants. But being on a TV show is harder than it looks. Can she make it through the challenges and win the show?

My Thoughts

This is a fun book for anyone who loves fashion and sewing. It is detailed and specific on how Chloe constructs and sews garments. However, if you don't know much about sewing, the details can be over your head. The book also has illustrations of the designs. These are great to visualize how they look.

Chloe is awesome. She's from California, which could have made her a stereotypical character. Instead the author made her from Santa Cruz and with a grandfather who used to be a rodeo clown. I think that gives her an interesting background. Plus, she has a great style. At the beginning of the book, Chloe doubts that she is able to compete with all the other designers. By the end she learns to be courageous and take risks.

While I like the protagonist, I don't like one of the antagonists- her rival, Nina. Nina is popular and has a gaggle of mimickers. She also steals Chloe's ideas. I think she could have been a much better character. I know she's not that important, but it was a missed opportunity.

The plot was well constructed. The one thing I would have changed is I would have made Chloe not be one of the winners of the second to last challenge. It would have made the end more impressive if she had to fight more doubt in the final challenge. It's fine the way it is, but that's what I would have done.

Recommendation

Overall, this is a great book for anyone who likes fashion and TV shows like Project Runway. It would be good for kids ten and up.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it? Let me know.