A tween fashion designer’s blog garners A-list attention in this chic start to a new middle grade series.Over the summer, fashion-loving Zoey Webber gets the best news ever: Her middle school is getting rid of uniforms! There’s just one problem. Zoey has sketchbooks full of fashion designs, but nothing to wear! So with a little help from her best friends Kate and Priti, she learns to make her own clothes. She even begins to post her fashion design sketches online in a blog. That’s how the Sew Zoey blog begins, and soon it becomes much more. Zoey’s quirky style makes her a bit of a misfit at middle school, but her Sew Zoey blog quickly gains a dedicated following. Real fashion designers start to read it! Yet even as her blog takes off, Zoey still has to deal with homework, crushes, and P.E. class. And when the principal asks her to design a dress for the school’s fashion-show fund-raiser, Zoey can’t wait to start sewing! But what will happen when her two worlds collide?
Chloe Taylor learned to sew when she was a little girl. She loved watching her Grandmother Louise turn a scrap of blue fabric into a simple-but-fabulous dress, nightgown, or even a bathing suit in an instant. It was magical! Now that she’s grown up, she still loves fashion: It’s like art that you can wear. Chloe has written more than thirty books for children and lives, writes, and window shops in New York City.
I feel this book series is way too ahead of its times talking about blogging, followers, how social media affects a young person even when the said person uses it to showcase their talent and knowledge.
I love this series as it makes me feel so nostalgic about my childhood days as well as my school days. I loved designing clothes for my Barbie dolls and for myself.
The writing and the characters are quite amazing!
Definitely get this series for the girl you know who loves designing and has interest in fashion. No, it’s not materialistic or anything demeaning or whatever we adults criticise and dampen the spirits of some young talent. This series will encourage them to face challenges and realistic expectations growing up. Also, the adults will learn a lot on how to interact better with kids this age and how to be interactive and involved better with their day to day interests.
Amidst flooding series for tweens, focusing on the usual ongoings.. such as in Dairy of a Wimpy Kid or The Dork Diaries, I find the Sew Zoey series an interesting read.
Even the book usually have the usual plot, I like that this one is focusing on Zoey and her dream of designing dresses and clothes. And she would sketch lots and lots of designs, that I feel I want to start designing clothes as well!
I love that the author, Chloe Taylor is actually designing and sewing clothes as well, so she knows what she is writing about. Which is really really good for the book plot!
I like that this book does not focus on the brattiness of the other popular girls group. In fact, they might not get along with each other but they surely can be civilised towards each other.
Zoey has always dreamt of designing and sewing her dress, thus when the school stated there will be no uniforms in her school, it is a blessing in disguise.
Thus, Zoey's adventure as a designer / seamstress starts. What a wonderful introduction to the series.
Zoey loves fashion. She reads all the fashion magazines and dreams up cool new designs for her sketchbook. Her friends convince her to learn to sew so she can bring these designs to life and teach others about fashion by blogging online. I especially like the scene where zoey goes to the sewing store for the first time and learns all about patterns and fabric.
Its a cute book, but just too flat for my liking. It's a good series for upper elementary girls who want to take up sewing, but the writing could be a lot better. I prefer The Cupcake Diaries for this age group. For a very well written series for this age you can't miss with The Sisters Club.
This was a cute read for preteen girls. It focuses on friendship, balancing priorities, finding your niche, and more. I appreciated how Zoey was not given special treatment from teachers while trying to balance school and sewing.
Zoey has always been into fashion, but she has never had much opportunity to enjoy it because of her school's strict uniform policy. When a new principal comes on board, though, the uniforms are suddenly and surprisingly abolished, and Zoey finds herself with the daunting task of being allowed to make a fashion statement every single day of the week. Though she doesn't really remember her mom very well, she knows she was great at sewing, so Zoey decides to channel her mom, take out her old sewing machine and sew her own clothes. With the help of her best friends, she sets up a blog, Sew Zoey, to document her successes and failures. Next thing Zoey knows, she has a loyal fan base and a request from the principal to design an outfit for an upcoming fashion show! Will she learn enough about fashion design in time to sew something fabulous?
There have been at least two other series for this reading level that have focused on fashion. The Zibby Payne books deal with the consequences faced by a young girl who decides to dress like a tomboy, and the Cinderella Cleaners books focus on a girl who works for her family's dry cleaning business and borrows the clothes for various events. This first book in the Sew Zoey series is a more interesting read than the books I read in either of those other series. Here's what it has going for it:
A positive outlook. This is not a book about challenging authority, sneaking out of the house, or otherwise behaving badly. Like the American Girl books, this is an upbeat story focused on a young girl who marches to her own drumbeat and takes the time to become good at what she loves.
Interesting and relevant use of technology. Without resorting to obnoxious chatspeak or unduly glorifying the internet, this book shows how blogging can help someone indulge in a new hobby, and even shows how sometimes the internet can be used as a vehicle for a random act of kindness. It eliminates, or at least steers away from, a lot of the less constructive uses for the internet and texting that are often portrayed in other books for this age group and keeps things wholesome and clean.
Strong family ties. Zoey is close to her aunt and her dad, and though she is not really heavily focused on the loss of her mom at a young age, she tries to get close to her by wearing her clothes and learning to sew. I feel like I have read a lot of middle grade books where it's considered cool to defy one's parents and sneak around behind their backs. It's nice to see a book that treats family ties as a cool thing to keep up with, even in middle school.
Depth. This isn't a book about how to follow the crowd and join in on the latest fads. Rather, Zoey's passion for clothes is about expressing herself and trying new things. This book really focuses on the value of hard work over the tween desire to fit in, or to look “hot.”
There's a little bit of the usual middle school melodrama between Zoey and another girl, which may seem a bit cliched, but even that fit nicely into the overall theme of the story, and I think kids and parents alike would be pleased with the way Zoey handles the issue. Overall, parents can feel confident handing this book to their young girls as young as 7 or 8 and even as old as 12 or 13, depending on their interests and reading abilities. Read-alikes include the Saige books from American Girl, Notes from an Accidental Band Geek, and My Life in Pink and Green.
The Book- Twelve year old Zoey Webber is staying at her Aunt Lulu's house over the summer, and is spending her time filling up sketchbooks with fashion designs. One morning Zoey's best friend Priti texts her to say that their school is doing away with uniforms! Zoey is so excited and plans a back-to-school shopping trip with her friends Priti and Kate. Her friends find out about her fashion sketches and convince her to start her own blog called Sew Zoey. The blog is a hit and Zoey is inspired to learn to sew and actually make her designs.
When school begins, Zoey is front and center with her own creation, but fellow students aren't very nice. She braves their looks though and continues to shine with her own style. The principal notices Zoey and asks if she would be willing to design an outfit for a school auction. Zoey is over-the-moon, until someone sabotages her dress. Can she go on? Will her blog supporters rally behind her? You've got to read to find out.
My Thoughts- I really enjoyed this middle grade journey. Zoey is a fun character who is brave enough to wear her own fashions and face whatever comes her way. She has her moments of despair, but because of the followers on her blog, she gains a new found courage.
The topic alone is worth the read. How many people today know how to sew? I think the numbers might be few. The fact the Zoey takes on this art and runs with it will show other children that they can develop talents of their own.
Another fun thing is that the book has several bonuses. Before each chapter are some of Zoey's designs so the reader gets a feeling for what they're reading. Plus, Zoey lists several of her blog posts that allow the reader to get inside her mind. I would have liked to have seen some of the comments people made back because Zoey often responds to those comments, but we don't get to see the source.
The end of the book stuck with me. Zoey makes the decision to forgive. She sets a great example for kids today. 4 stars!
The SEW ZOEY series is really different. Unlike series for Tweens and Teens like DORK DIARIES and DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, these books are all about doing creative things. Almost, but not quite, how-to instructions.
The main character is Zoey, a girl with two close friends, a brother and father, and supportive aunt. (Her mother passed away when she was a baby.) And in this first book, they help her to start a Blog about one of her favorite things, Fashion!
Zoey draws and draws and her friends are impressed with her designs, but Zoey doesn't know anything about blogging or sewing... which is pretty much going to be the case with real girls in her age bracket. The great thing about the book is that the author, Chloe Taylor, describes some of the basics about how a girl would go about learning to sew. She defines common terms, for example, like what a 'notion' is; and she gives pointers like how one really shouldn't cut out patterns on a bed.
I think a girl who went with her mom to a fabric store, would know what to expect.
Overall, this is a squeaky clean book without a lot of plot surprises. There are the super supportive friends, and the trouble making rich girls. But the book is well written, and the story is really a great way to present information about blogging and sewing in a kid-friendly fashion.
I looked for reading information, but as I write this, there isn't any. So if reading level is important I suggest you have your reader try the sample pages.
Over the summer, fashion-loving Zoey Webber gets the best news ever: Her middle school is getting rid of uniforms! There’s just one problem. Zoey has sketchbooks full of fashion designs, but nothing to wear! So with a little help from her best friends Kate and Priti, she learns to make her own clothes. She even begins to post her fashion design sketches online in a blog. That’s how the Sew Zoey blog begins, and soon it becomes much more.
Zoey’s quirky style makes her a bit of a misfit at middle school, but her Sew Zoey blog quickly gains a dedicated following. Real fashion designers start to read it! Yet even as her blog takes off, Zoey still has to deal with homework, crushes, and P.E. class. And when the principal asks her to design a dress for the school’s fashion-show fund-raiser, Zoey can’t wait to start sewing! But what will happen when her two worlds collide?
This book would be a love affair between pre-teen girls who love to read and love clothes. This quick, easy to ready chapter book would please both their fancies. I loved that Zoey is an independent middle schooler with a mind of her own who doesn't have to follow the crowd. She's supportive of her friends, reaches out to the shy student, and repays unkindness with kindness. I enjoyed the relationship between her and her aunt as well as with Jan the owner of the fabric store. Having learned to sew at about the same age as Zoey this brought back a lot of fun memories.
This is the first book in the Sew Zoey series by Chloe Taylor. Zoey Webber is a middle-school fashionista who dreams of designing, making and wearing her own creations. In reality, she is trapped in a world of gray uniforms, which every student at her private school must wear. Change comes in the form of a new principal, who not only eliminates the uniform rule, but promotes the idea of a fashion show fund raising event! Suddenly Zoey finds herself learning to sew in order to bring her dreams to life. This story, although a bit unrealistic in its time frame, may just inspire a new generation of sewing aficionados. It introduces correct sewing terminology, and conveys the pride and excitement of sewing (and wearing) something entirely unique. Through it all, Zoey and her friends Priti and Kate stay firmly rooted in their individuality, in spite of repeated attacks from ‘mean girls’ Ivy, Bree and Shannon. There is a bit of drama when Zoey’s entry in the fashion show is sabotaged, but the ending leaves room for Zoey to have many more sewing adventures. Recommended for grades 2-4, Reviewed by: Laura Lieske, Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library
What a fun book! I saw 8 books on my local library branch shelf, all with zippy titles and fabulous artwork. Zoey and her two bff's, Kate and Priti, are in middle school where they suffer through wearing uniforms. Our gal Zoey is a perky fashionista and doodles and draws all kinds of fun things to wear, if only she could, to school. A new principal declares the end of uniforms and the trio are overwhelmed. Real clothes! And what to wear when school starts after summer vacay? Well, Zoey starts a blog, Sew Zoey, encouraged by her friends, and meets a zany woman who runs the local fabric store; they bond instantly. Aunt Lulu, a designer, too (but not clothes) helps out, and everyone supports Zoey's new thing: learning to sew her own stuff. Great themes of learning a home craft, working with friends and others, learning to work through stares and ridicule, learning that standing out from everyone is okay and being yourself rocks! Dialog is age appropriate and current (and wholesome which is nice), setting is one all middle readers can relate to: school and home, and the characters are likeable and engaging. I would read all the books in this upbeat series. Go Zoey!
Simon Spotlight has created another chapter book series for young readers. This one focuses on a young middle grader that has an eye for fashion. She takes out her mom's old sewing machine and starts to create colorful clothes. She also has a blog. I thought this was a good start to a new chapter book series. It is easy to read and you will definitely good through the series with ease. I liked Zoey but, she really didn't grab me as a main character that can continually carry a series. The fashion in the book didn't really pop for me. I think that a book about fashion has to really shine. I would have liked to have seen more sketches throughout the book. The story was well put together and it did hold my interest. It was a fun read and I would recommend it to a young girl that likes fashion and wants to start a new series for leisurely reading.
Zoey Webber lives for fashion: sketching her own clothing designs, accessorizing and expressing her personality through her clothing. So, when her friend Priti tells her the great news that school uniforms are no longer going to be required, she, Priti and Kate begin planning what they will wear for that all important first day of freedom. When Zoey shows her friends her sketches, they love them and convince her she needs a wider audience for her ideas. So begins the "Sew Zoey" fashion blog, which gathers a small but faithful following of all ages. Then the new principal asks Zoey to create a design for the fashion show fund raiser and Zoey feels like a real designer. Facing deadlines and the pressure of getting it right starts to take over her life.
Pretty basic plot and characters. With a lower reading level (4.3), it's a nice, tame book about middle school for younger readers .
This book was really much better than I expected it to be. It would be very enjoyable for girls in grades 2-5, depending on their reading level. It was a fun and easy read with cute sketches starting every chapter. The plot line with SPOILERS ALERT the dress being ruined didn't follow through quite like I expected it to (and like every other book of that genre for that age group seems to!), so that was a pleasant surprise. I thought the characters were pretty interesting, though a little stereotypical (mean girls, sporty girl, girly girl). The main character wasn't as stereotyped as the others, though. The writing was fine, not outstanding but fairly good, and I liked the idea of the blog. The blog posts in each chapter were fun to read. Overall, a pretty good book for this reading level of this genre.
When I read Sew Zoey I really thought this might be a good series. Sew Zoey's 1st book gave the series a good kick off. I think Zoey, Priti, Kate, and Libby make a great team. Since I am only on book 4 I think they should never break up as a team. I think Zoey should keep accomplishing her dreams as a fashion designer and her friends to keep up their dreams too. Zoey and her friends are up to the challenge against being the fashion designer and not being able to be mean to Ivy, Bree, and Shannon. Zoey and her friends needs to keep up the good work.
Zoey has a passion for fashion, when her school drops the uniform requirement her creativity soars. She learns how to sew and begins to design her own one of a kind outfits, as well as write a fashion blog. Zoey is given the chance of a lifetime, the opportunity to design a dress for the school fundraiser fashion show. When plans go awry her strong spirit and the help of supportive adults leads the story to a satisfying but unpredictable ending. A perfect choice for creative girls.
I know this is an über small book, but I just couldn't resist the cute cover! A fun story with great characters, an entertaining plot, and great descriptions of all the clothes and designs. Zoey is a great character, very forgiving and creative. Her friends are super understanding and supportive, and her family is wonderful. Her blog posts were entertaining and funny, and I cannot wait until I read the next book!
This book is cute and would likely appeal to a very specific crowd. Zoey is a middle school girl who loves fashion and starts a blog about her designs and sewing. Kids who are crafty and like fashion design and sewing would probably enjoy this series. For someone not interested in those topics, this book would probably be painfully boring.
his is book one of a sweet series for young readers. Zoey is a very likable 7th grade girl who dares to design and sew her own clothes. She also blogs about her designs at Sew Zoey. I liked the upbeat attitude this spunky and daring girl has.
I just finished the book I cant wait to read all the other books in the series I know that this authors book inspired me like a movie and a magazine did I really have a passion for fashion I have on sketch book but i have so many dresses and other types of things in fashion. This book is a amazing one Must read :)