The Art of Getting Stared At by Laura Langston

Pages: 343

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Real life

Notes for Parents: Some coarse language and mature content

The Back Cover

After a school video she produced goes viral, sixteen-year-old Sloane is given a chance for a film school scholarship. Unfortunately, she must work with Isaac Alexander, an irresponsible charmer with whom she shares an uneasy history.

On the heels of this opportunity comes a horrifying discovery: a bald spot on her head. No gibber than a quarter, the patch shouldn’t be there. Neither should the bald spots that follow. Horror gives way to devastation when Sloane is diagnosed with alopecia areata. The autoimmune disease has no cause, no cure, and no definitive outcome. The spots might grow over tomorrow or Sloane might become completely bald.

Determined to produce her video, hider her condition, and resist Isaac’s every charm, Sloane finds herself turning into the kind of person she has always mocked: someone obsessed with their looks. And just when she thinks things can’t get any worse, Sloane is forced to make the most difficult decision of her life.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This novel was shortlisted for the CLA YA Book of the Year, the Snow Willow Award, the White Pine Award, the Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize, and the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award.

What’s good?

Sloane knows that other people have it worse than she does, but it doesn’t make it any easier for her to deal with the fact that she’s losing her hair – and may lose it all – and it may never grow back. The main character, Sloane, was independent, driven, and didn’t care about her looks in the beginning, but when she’s faced with the possibility of losing her hair, she becomes self-conscious and afraid of what others will see or think. The plot is strong and the pace is even. The narrative voice is genuine and emotional, and Sloane is very relatable. There’s a hint of romance, and good character development that leads to an interesting conclusion.

Best Part: “Appearance is superficial but beauty goes deep.” (pg 305)

What isn’t good?

I didn’t like any of the secondary characters. The mean girl was too mean (with no growth or consequences). The mom was completely unsympathetic to her daughter’s circumstance. The step-mom was shallow and completely disregarded Sloane’s privacy. Isaac, the film partner, was an unnecessary complication. And Sloane’s friends were completely forgettable.

Worst part: Step-mom Kim.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

I could easily sense the dread as Sloane was losing more and more hair. And while her experience couldn’t compare to the little girl with cancer and her mom dealing with an epidemic in a foreign country, the author did a great job of creating a character and situation that was worthy of our sympathy. The story was easy to read and kept me engaged to the end. Recommended.

Langston, Laura. The Art of Getting Stared At. Toronto: RazorBill, 2015.