Beverly Hills, 60093

By Margaret Hicks in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 24, 2006 3:24PM

Growing up on the North Shore was tough. We weren’t the naturally pretty type and we always envied the ones who had it all. While the cool kids were drinking Boone's Farm behind the 7-11 we were in the basement playing “who can act out the best monologue”.

But the nerdy teens in all of us can commiserate with Trace, the heroine of Trish Cook’s new book “Overnight Sensation”. Cook’s first book, “So Lyrical” (which has a blurb from Liz Phair, rockin') introduced us to Trace. Trace lives in Winnetka, as does Cook, with her whacky Bebe Buell type mom and a mysterious rock star father. She has a beautiful best friend and a crush on a boy named Zander. It seems like the classic young adult book we’ve seen before, but then we noticed something that at first repelled us, then attracted us. Cook’s website links to an itunes play-list that acts as a companion to the book. The artists vary, from Liz Phair to Queen to Kenny Chesney. At first we haughtily scoffed at the idea, but soon realized it’s probably pretty smart. Mixing media, especially for the young un's, is a pretty good way to get noticed.

Now we’re just mad we didn’t think of it first.

You can see Trish Cook Saturday, 2:00P.M. at The Book Stall, 811 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL. 847.446.8880