Meet Kaylee/Meet Alana

In a book that flips over to offer the same story from two perspectives, Gottesfeld kicks off the Stripped series, written at a fourth-grade reading level, about teens living and striving for the good life in Las Vegas. After Kaylee loses her cleaning job and is evicted from her drug-addicted aunt’s apartment, the teenager leaves Los Angeles for Sin City. She quickly meets some supportive, equally down-on-their-luck friends and finds herself in the good graces—and employ—of Alana, whose father owns a lavish hotel and casino on the strip. A subplot about local bloggers threatening to reveal Kaylee’s backstory and bring down Alana’s father feels over the top, but readers seeking glitzy plotlines and some good-hearted young people to root for should be satisfied. Also available: Wedding Bell Blues, Independence Day, and Show Down on the Strip. Ages 15–up. (Sept.)