by Jessica Ham

If you love drama, teen romance, or the show Gossip Girl, then you will love these books written by Cecily von Ziegesar. It all takes place in New York, mainly the Upper East Side, and follows the lives of the rich and fabulous students of two prep schools in Manhattan. There are many characters in this series but the two that are featured are Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, the queen bees of the Upper East Side.

The series begins with Serena van der Woodsen returning to school after mysteriously escaping to boarding school for several months. No one knows why she disappeared but they are all desperate to find out. We find out quickly that Blair is not happy to see her best friend return because it has been rumored that Blair’s boyfriend, Nate, is in love with Serena. Blair is also bent out of shape that her one and only best friend left town without telling her. Wouldn’t you be angry if that happened to you?

The book series and the television show have similar concepts but there are many things that are different about it. In the book series, Blair and Serena smoke cigarettes on a regular basis but on the show they are never seen smoking. The book series also features many cuss words, but the show does not have cussing at all. The entire nature of the book series is more edgy and adult than the TV series. I personally love the show better than the book series. The books are entertaining but the show has much more depth than the books. Also, my favorite character, Chuck Bass, is a main character in the show but is barely mentioned in the book series. So overall, I prefer the television show.

Even though the book series is not as good as the television show, I still strongly recommend the book series. It is very entertaining and much more rebellious than the show, if you are looking for something more edgy to read. Fans of the show and those who are not fans of the show can both enjoy these books.

The Gossip Girl Books in order are :

1. Gossip Girl
2. You Know You Love Me
3. All I Want Is Everything
4. Because I’m Worth It
5. I Like It Like That
6. You’re The One That I Want
7. Nobody Does It Better
8. Nothing Can Keep Us Together
9. Only In Your Dreams
10. Would I Lie To You
11. Don’t Forget About Me
12. It Had To Be You (prequel)
13. I Will Always Love You

Jessica Ham is 18 years old and an ongoing contributor to our Teen Talk section; with dreams of being on Broadway, she’s right at home covering Entertainment.