Jem: Secret Star

Jem Storybooks

by Thomas P. Turner, Tom Tierney (Illustrator)

When Jem and the Holograms are asked to make a movie, Jerrica Benton relies on the special computer Synergy to keep her identity as Jem a secret.

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Tiffany Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jem Secret Star (Updated)
The Holograms are chilling by the pool when Jerrica delivers some exciting news and they all rush inside. How Sands wants them to be in a movie. The movie will be about a hebind the scenes look at how a music video is made. There will be lots of amazing sets and costumes.

Howard shows up and says he’d like Jerrica to be the director since as head of Starlight Music she knows Jem and the Holograms well. Jerrica rubs her earrings and exchanges a worried glance with Shana. Howard notices and asks what the problem is. He asks if Jerrica and Jem have a problem getting along. He rarely sees them together. Aja assures him that Jerrica and Jem get along like sisters.

After he leaves, they talk in Jerrica’s bedroom. Jerrica says that the only way to keep Howard from finding out that she’s Jem is with the Jem star earrings. Just then Ashley burst into the room. Jerrica tells her to come back later. They have some songs to rehearse. Ashley says ok, but wonders to herself how they can rehearse without Jem. Like the other girls she doesn’t know about Jerrica’s secret. As they go to the video room, Ashley yells at them they aren’t superstars and that she’ll show them how famous they really are.

Aja says she hopes Ashley will be the only thing they have to worry about. Jerrica says they’ll just have to use Synergy to her maximum capacity to keep Jem’s secret safe. The next day, everyone is busy on set. Howard says it’ll be the biggest movie ever made. Jerrica sees the hologram she created of Jem with the others getting into their costumes. Jerrica has let Ashley come to the set hoping it will keep her out of trouble. The Holograms go back to the set and start to tune their instruments.

Howard yells cut and says there’s something wrong with Jem’s outfit. If he gets too close to her he’ll find out she’s just a hologram. So, Jerrica says she sees what it is and motions Jem off to the side. Jerrica switches places with Jem and adjusts her costume. Then they go back to their places. Now Howard says everything is perfect and Jerrica says with all the excitement its hard to keep everything straight. All the Hologram’s smile because they know the secret.

When its time to change, they go to wardrobe and find Ashley’s poured iridescent paint all over their costumes. They scream and Howard rushes in. He calls Ashley a trouble maker and tells her she’s ruined everything. Ashley starts to cry and says she did it because everyone pays attention to Jem and the Holograms but no one pays attention to her. Jem puts her arm around her and tells her that (that’s) not true. They care about her a lot!

Jem looks at the costumes and says with a little more paint and the right lighting the costumes would look outrageous. Jerrica agrees and Ashley nods knowing she won’t ever try something like that again. Howard loves the new look and congratulates Jerrica. Jerrica says she’s just glad it all worked out. Rio comes to the set when the Holograms are doing their final song “Magic”. He tells Jerrica Howard said she and Jem worked together like magic. Jerrica smiles at the lyric “a secret kind of magic”.
Can you image in my delight to find a couple of these older Jem books on Open Library? This was a slightly mirrored version of the episode where Jem and the Hologram's win the Battle of the Bands and part of that is starring in a movie. Only this version doesn't have the Misfit's around to muck things up.

Here it was slightly easy for Jerrica to get around the having to be two different people. It was a little more stressful in the episode. Reading this just made me wish Synergy's holograms could be solid but I guess hologram's in themselves (in Emmitt's day) was a big enough leap on their own. Making them solid probably hadn't even occurred to him before he died. I kept waiting for (just like in the cartoon) Howard to hand her something as Jerrica while she was in Hologram form.

As for Ashley being a brat and dumping paint all over their costumes out of spite when they invited her and not any of the other Starlight Girls (possibly even missing school) I never particularly cared for that part of Ashley in the cartoon. Although I understood that she was crying out. Here it just didn't make any sense because she's not being neglected.

And then was it just me or did anyone else find those costumes very UN JEM LIKE! They looked like (I don't even know how to describe these atrocities) short caftans with furry collars. Jem has on a high heeled shoe and an ankle boot. WTH?! The whole look is 80s grandma rather than 80's outrageous as we came to know of Jem fashions.

And then in all the costumes they're all wearing the same thing in different colors. They're all Kimber's (Permanent Wave) outfit. I call BS on that! Cause when in the cartoon did the Hologram's EVER where the same clothes for anything? Exactly! And then I don't think Ashley could have messed these dresses up if she tried. Anything should could have done to them would have been an improvement. I'm just saying.

Reading this gave me a warm sense of nostalgia because I remember having this particular book and a lot of the other Jem vintage books.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute but the other one was better

[Caletha · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it.. brought back so many memories