Viola’s parents are documentary filmmakers, and a year-long assignment to Afghanistan means that Viola will have to spend her freshman year at an exclusive all-girl boarding school. That’s bad enough, but the school – The Perfect Academy – is in South Bend, Indiana, far from her Brooklyn friends and the excitement of city life. How is she supposed to sleep with all that quiet!?

This is a nice young-adult novel about opening yourself to new possibilities and making the best of a less-than-ideal situation. Our heroine is sometimes “Princess Snark,” sometimes a homesick girl, and always a 14-year-old girl away from home for the first time and beginning to discover what she wants from life. Viola’s roommates quickly help her break down the barriers she’s erected to maintain distance. And what she learns about her parents, her friends and herself will truly make this a memorable year.
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Watching Viola make friends in a difficult situation and discover new things about herself and her family was enjoyable. I liked the romantic aspect as well because Viola doesn't discard her ambitions for a boy. ( )

The character is abandoned. And so is this book.

Eh. It was cute although a few of the characters were kinda cardboardy. ( )

Despite her somewhat tough exterior, Viola is a likable character. She's devastated when her parents drop her off at a boarding school in the mid-west while they go off to Afghanistan to shoot a documentary. Once she lets her roommates and some others into her life, Viola ends up finding out more about herself and those around her (both at boarding school and at home in Brooklyn). _Viola in Reel Life_ is a fun read and I'm anxious to talk to students at my school to see if the portrayal of boarding school life is realistic. ( )