All That Glitters

From the Files of Madison Finn #20

by Jill Santopolo

Aly and Brooke open a nail salon just for kids in this first book of the Sparkle Spa series!

Sisters Aly and Brooke love spending time at their mom’s popular and successful nail salon—it’s their “home away from home.” At the end of another incredibly busy day, Mom complains she is completely overwhelmed at work, even more so by all the kids who come to have manis and pedis. That’s when the sisters have a brilliant idea: Why don’t they open up a mini nail salon just for kids within Mom’s store? Their plan needs a bit of polish, but all signs point to success…

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Jill Santopolo is the author of the The Light We Lost, the Alec Flint Mysteries, the Sparkle Spa series, and the Follow Your Heart books. She holds a BA in English Literature from Columbia University, an MFA in Writing for Children from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a certificate in Intellectual Property Law from NYU. Jill is also the Editorial Director of Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group. When she’s not writing or editing, Jill is a thesis advisor at The New School in their MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults and is on the faculty of the Columbia Publishing Course. Jill has traveled all over the U.S.—and to Canada and Europe—to speak about writing and storytelling. She lives in New York City.

Twitter: @jillsantopolo
Instagram: jillsantopolo
Facebook: /jillsantopoloauthor

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6 year old just finished reading this book aloud to me. It was right up her ally, very age appropriate. She was challenged but not frustrated, which is perfect for her level of reading. We just ordered the next book in the series!

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is a cute book about young sisters who want to start doing mani/pedi's in their moms salon. They do one for a classmate and it catches on. Their mom lets them do it (with conditions) and the whole soccer team comes to them thinking they're a good luck charm. I enjoyed this first one, but I'm cautious. There's a lot of idolization of older kids and a lot of focus on the superficial (as you'd expect) but this first one was wholesome enough!

[AMH · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love it

This book is so interesting and I also love how it shows how to do rainbow nails that is so cute! I recommend this book. I can't wait to read book 2!

[Alyssa Lipke · Rating 5 out of 5]

#loveit

Thank you very much Jill Santopolo you inspired my granddaughter know she loves to read!

Again thank you very much because of you our family is reading again

[Amber Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really cute. It’s a good book for a young girl, around 6-10 years old, to read.

It’s almost like a S.T.E.M. book in that S.T.E.M is about teaching young and teenage girls and boys about making or owning a business or product.
Except, in Sparkly Spa: All That Glitters, the S. T. E. M. part would be towards young girls.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the cover may make you think that this book is all fru-fru and no substance, All That Glitters does have some meritorious aspects. Aly and Brooke learn a little bit about negotiation, planning, problem solving and standing up for themselves in this first of the Sparkle Spa series.

Aly and Booke's mom is set against the girls working their own spa; even if it is for kids. Their mom wants them to be able to enjoy being children. Because of this Aly and Brooke have to negotiate with their mother to let them open the spa up. The girls come up a list of benefits of having them operate their own salon and how that would help their mom. This show the girls thinking the process through vs. just wanting it to want it.

Aly and Brooke's mom counters their reasons with some terms of her own. This include giving the money they make from their own kid salon to charity and only opererating the salon three days a week. The girls have to sign this agreement and abide by it. This shows the responsibility that the girls will be taking on is a serious one and and by signing the paper they are really committing to follow the rules.

When the girls first open the salon, they discover some additional problems. What to do with people who are having their nails dry and those who are waiting. The girls come up with the idea of having a bead station to provide some entertainment for their clients. This demonstrations seeing a problem and searching for a solution.

Finally, a mean girl character tries to bully the girls into giving her a pedicure when the salon is closed. Brooke, the younger of the two sisters, stands up to her; telling her they ARE closed with her hands on her hips. This demonstrates that it is okay to stand up for yourself and not bend the rules that you have set for yourself for others.

While the story has these excellent messages within it, it is still more of a book for girly-girls or boys who are interested in subjects that you would typically associate with girls. There's a lot of sparkle happening in this book with all the colorful nail polish. Happily, there's more happening in the story beyond that, too.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

N.B. I received a free copy of this book through the First Reads program.

I am definitely not a member of the target audience for this one. This is a nice, little, beginner chapter book for young girls. I think that second, third, and maybe even fourth graders would be the ideal audience for this one.

It's about two girls whose mom runs a nail salon. The girls often hang out at the nail salon and enjoy the atmosphere and the women who work there as well as the women who make appointments. Both girls want to help out however they can and, through the course of the book, gain more responsibility.

Overall, this made me a little nostalgic for my old Lisa Frank folders and notebooks from when I was in grade school (yes, even boys can like Lisa Frank!). I don't think that I would have enjoyed this, even when I was in the target age group, but I think that is only because of my gender. I can see girls in the age group enjoying this quite a bit and identifying with either of the two girls. If you're looking for a nice gift for a grade school girl, perhaps as a first chapter-book, I think this would be a good choice.

[Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aly and Brooke love to hang out in their mom's nail salon. Still, they can't wait to be eighteen and finally old enough to paint customers' nails themselves. And then they have a great idea: what if they open their own salon in the back and paint kids' nails for free? Soon word is spreading, and even sixth-graders show up for pedicures. But it turns out that running your own salon is not as easy as it seems. Worth it, though? Definitely!

Brooke and Aly are charming characters -- well-rounded, talented, and intelligent -- and their love of the salon life is surprisingly infectious. In a world where so many girls are taught that they can be either bookish or sporty or fancy, I love the theme: "Girls can be smart, strong, and sparkly." The primer at the back is a nice touch, teaching readers how to paint their own nails, along with some tips on avoiding smudges and carpet stains.

[Christine Turner]

Aly and Brooke open a nail salon just for kids in this first book of the Sparkle Spa series!

Sisters Aly and Brooke love spending time at their mom's popular and successful nail salon--it's their "home away from home." At the end of another incredibly busy day, Mom complains she is completely overwhelmed at work, even more so by all the kids who come to have manis and pedis. That's when the sisters have a brilliant idea: Why don't they open up a mini nail salon just for kids within Mom's store? Their plan needs a bit of polish, but all signs point to success...

School Library Journal recommends this book for students grades PreS-Gr 2.

[Kiera LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this att the library, usually I wouldn't read a book like this since it is mostly guided towards third or second graders, considering the fact that I am in sixth grade. But I liked the concept of the book and I ended up throughly enjoying the book, even though it might have been moree aimed towards younger readers. I love nails and i spend a lot of my free time doing nail art so I enjoyed this book. I am also lookign forward to reading some of the other sparkle spa books too, as some light bedtime reading!!!

[Stephanie Faris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two sisters decide to open their own nail salon for young girls in the first book in the Sparkle Spa series. You'll be drawn in from the first word and eager to read the next book when you finish. In addition to learning about responsibility and perseverance, readers will feel inspired by the close relationship the sisters have in this series. Plus...NAIL POLISH. It doesn't get better than that! I highly recommend All That Glitters.

[Zeina Sabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book. It’s about two girls ,Alyssa AKA Aly ,and Brooke who wants to open a new kids salon to get to polish kids nails so the grown ups can polish more grown up nails

First mom didn’t agree but when dad came back she had agreed,to open a kid salon in the back room. While thinking of names Brooke came up with sparkle spa.

[Cheryl Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the cutest thing ever, and actually taught me a lot about painting my nails. It has a great message about girls' ability to be "smart, strong, AND sparkly" -- and isn't that what we all aspire to, really?

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story for girls who are budding entrepreneurs. Very age-appropriate as the sisters learn business skills, teamwork, and standing up for themselves. First in a series of at least five (the 5th one is not out yet). 2nd to 5th grade.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet and fun first book in an early middle grade series. It's about two sisters (who actually get along!) starting up their own "sparkle spa" for kids in the back of their mom's nail salon. I especially liked the use of various nail polish color names.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, with good messages about goal setting, not giving up, and doing things for the right reasons. It was nice to see some responsible and involved parents; a lot of the MG books I've read lately have absent parents.

[Rochelle Sondae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sisters Aly and Brooke work together to achieve their goals. Problem solving and communication are key to their success. Power to the Sparkle!

[Kris Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

For young girls with entrepreneurial spirits #bookaday

[Holly Letson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this, but it didn't finish it. I laid it down, and never gained enough interest in it to finish it.

[Hollis Sev · Rating 5 out of 5]

this SERIES is a really exciting, fun, and cool book. What I think is that they could make a lot more books, because they are so good. The ages I recommend are probably 7-12

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it because it's a abut the spa

[Kaleigh]

I love this book. It's a fun book. I live it because it's fun and a quick easy read! I really recommend this book!

[Morrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY cute story, and made me want to read more!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute enough. The sisters learn about entrepreneurship in a cute way. I like that they have a responsible parent, who wants them to focus on school.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 year old loved this book. She enjoyed that the kids were creative and opened their own spa.