I feel dumber for reading the 50 pages that I did... Don't waste your time. ( )

Over the past week I have read Alphas by Lisi Harrison. The character that I connect most with in this book is Skye, because she loves ballet just like I love synchronized swimming and she also practices every day just like me.In this book I would like to have Skye as a friend because she seems nice and a fun person to be around. If I could jump into the book I would go meet everybody and go beg the principal to put me in the Jakie o room because there a bunch of really cool people in there. ( )

Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Four girls, all roommates at Alpha Academy, all wanting to be the one Alpha winner selected by Shira, the most famous Alpha of all.

Skye Hamilton is a dancer who longs to impress Shira, her idol and role model.

Allie J. Abbott is a girl pretending to be the famous singer/songwriter/eco-friendly Allie A. Abbott, a person's mail she keeps getting by mistake, including her acceptance letter to the Academy. Having the hots for Shira's son, Devlin, she'll do anything to keep him, including ostracizing and being cruel to his ex.

Triple Threat is a model/dancer/actress who thinks she already is better than everyone else and will do anything to prove it, no matter who it hurts.

Charlie Deery is a girl who's been beta all her life and is a last-minute selection for Alpha Academy, but the price she must pay is that she has to dump Shira's son, Devlin. Constantly in tears from her roommates that ridicule her, she'll do whatever it takes to survive. Spying for Shira, however, was not what she had in mind.

With petty fights, mean girl tactics, and backstabbing, this book will at first seem like other books about junior high girls. However, when you take into account the friendships that end up forming, the cool technology each girl gets at the academy, and crazy midnight meetings with boys, readers will enjoy the adventure, the romance, and the humor that sets this book apart.

Readers who have liked the CLIQUE novels by this same author as well as romance, adventure, and realistic fiction will enjoy reading ALPHAS and will be excited for the sequel. ( )

At OCD the losers are tormented. At Alpha Academy, they're sent home. Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR . What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?

This is the first book book in a new series from the author of The Clique. One of the main characters carry over and I hadn't read that series yet so I wasn't sure what to expect. It has an interesting concept but it's not unique. This is the Survivor of boarding schools. You don't want to get voted off the island.

Shira Brazille is an eccentric billionaire who founded an exclusive boarding school on a private island. Her intention is to nurture the next generation of gifted writers, dancers, musicians and inventors. She has selected one hundred special girls who will be eliminated one at a time for any reason. The winner will be the last person left and all of her dreams will come true.

Most of the characters were spoiled rich girls who were used to getting whatever they wanted. They are suppose to be exceptional young women but many of them are extremely shallow and not very likable. While I realize they are teens who are interested in boys, clothes, phones, etc., I expected more from the best of the best. Would they really squander away such a rare opportunity just to chase boys? Skye is a dancer who is known for her unique moves and her connection with boys. Allie is there because she mistakenly received another girl's invitation and decided to impersonate the famous singer. Charlie received a last minute invitation with the condition that she leave her boyfriend of many years, founder Shira's son. Do any of them have what it takes to make it to the end? And is Shira really as altruistic as she claims or does she have another motive?

The time period of the story had me confused. While there are current social references Alpha Island is very futuristic hi-tech. There are holograms that are so realistic it's sometimes impossible to tell them from the humans. Other gadgets like the students aPods (phones) and their own Personal Alpha Planes seem common here.

Some of the issues that bothered me may have been more about my perspective as a parent rather than a reader's of the same age. It's been more than a few years since I was a teenager so "Ohmuhgud!", 'hawt" and the arrogant attitudes can grate on my nerves. But I do like a fun story and although this book wasn't quite what I hoped, the rest of the series may be. The rather abrupt ending leaves you with a cliffhanger to be resolved in book #2 coming in April 2010.

Thank you to Little, Brown & Company for a review copy of this book. ( )

Eccentric, billionare Shira Brazille runs Alpha Academy on exotic Alpha Island to nurture the next generation of exceptional dancers, writers, musicians, and inventors. It's a dream come true for one hundred lucky girls, but those not measuring up will be sent home at any time, for any reason. The one left standing will win worldwide fame. who will it be? ( )