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Publication Date: March 2, 2009 Publisher: DK Publishing Author: · Beth Landis Hester Related Sites: · Official Site - Hannah Montana Grade: A-

Hannah Montana: The Essential Guide is a scrapbook-y chronicle of that famous girl, the girl-next-door Miley Stewart who throws on a blonde wig and becomes pop sensation, Hannah Montana.  If you have a daughter, or niece, or granddaughter who is a huge fan of the character that brought Miley Cyrus to the limelight, you now have a handy-dandy hardcover reference to explain the phenomenon.

Inside the sparkly, holographic stars of the cover you'll find a nice assemblage of facts, scenes from the television series and movie, and full-color pictures galore to acquaint you will all aspects of Hannah Montana's world. Right off the bat you get a two-page spread of the primary cast with the name of their character and an arrow pointing to their head.  Bookmark this for quick reference during your pre-teen's next name-dropping conversation.

You're introduced to the scenario of the series next to a collage of stills from many of the episodes. Scattered with factoids, you become acquainted with the small-town girl transplanted to California, then her alter ego, including the accoutrements needed for the transformation into acclaimed pop star. Each family member and friend gets a two-page outlay with large portrait and includes their own disguises as associates of Hannah Montana. Frenemies and reoccurring relatives get a small index card-sized blurb.

Behind the scenes, you get a look at the funky clothing in Hannah Montana's closet, and backstage at her concerts. You get to sample the lengths Miley has gone to to keep her celebrity secret, and review her transition to the California way of life.

A relatively large portion -- 10 of the 48 pages -- is reserved for events in "Hannah Montana: The Movie." With a return to Crowley Corners, Tennessee, Miley hopes to get back to her roots and away from the glamorous life for a while. The rural community has its own collection of unique personalities, and we get a brief look at them. Not to be left out, the animals featured in the film are identified and get their own plug.

The campaign to save their open countryside from development is laid out, including plans for the benefit party.  Finally, her dual personalities and the forces that attempt to influence her behavior reveal some lessons to be learned about keeping things in perspective.

In "Hannah Montana: The Movie," Miley dresses the part of the farm girl, but she can't fake feeding the chickens and gathering the eggs!

And that's it!  You are now an informed individual on the spectacle of Hannah Montana and have the potential of upping your cool factor by being able to converse intelligently on the subject.

Hannah Montana: The Essential Guide packs in a lot of information without the layout seeming too busy.  It was rather clever the way episode plots were integrated into each character's bio.  Aiming for the 9 to 12-year-old crowd, this book is indispensable for the young fan, but may be even more valuable for those much older as an accessible handbook for Hannah Montana knowledge.