Airhead (novel)
Encyclopedia
Airhead is a young-adult novel by Meg Cabot
. It was released on May 13, 2008. The sequel, Being Nikki
was released in May 2009. The third book in the series Runaway has been released as well.
The book is about a teenage girl whose life is forever changed by the tragic accident that leaves her taking the identity of a supermodel, Nikki Howard. Thrown into a completely unfamiliar world, she's forced to hide her old identity in order to personify her current one.
A month later, Em finds herself in the hospital, trying to recall what had happened. She finds out she is in Nikki Howard's body when she is kidnapped by Lulu Collins, Nikki's best friend and Brandon Stark, her on again off again boyfriend. She screams in the limo seeing she in Nikki Howard's body on the way to Nikki's loft. She tries to remember the events that went on during the last month, and Em finds out that not only did she die during the accident, but incidentally Nikki Howard had also suffered a fatality as well. Unknown to and without her permission, her brain is transplanted
into Nikki's brain-dead body, due to the fact Nikki suffered from a fatal collapse at the same time Em got hit. In an effort to save Em, her parents had agreed to a controversial brain transplant surgery offered free by Stark Industries, on condition that Em continues Nikki's career as the face of Stark Industries. From then on, Em is forced to live the high life while concealing her real identity or be faced with the contract penalty of two million dollars.
Em is forced to take on the role of Nikki Howard, all the while struggling with the fact that she does not have control over her life. She tries to let go of her tomboyish ways to take over the highly glamorous life that Nikki had lived. Although she is now dealing with Nikki's job, Nikki's friend Lulu and many boyfriends, she still fights to keep some of her old life by going back to school, also to face Christopher, on whom she has a secret crush. As Em follows through with Nikki's commitments (photo shoots, interviews, etc., not to mention continuing school at Tribeca Alternative High School), she realizes that the supermodel lifestyle is a lot harder than she perceived it to be...
Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is anAmerican author of romantic and paranormal fiction for teens and adults and used to write under several pen names, but now writes exclusively under her real name, Meg Cabot...
. It was released on May 13, 2008. The sequel, Being Nikki
Being Nikki
Being Nikki was written by acclaimed author of the Princess Diaries series Meg Cabot, and is the second book in the Airhead series. This book is followed by Runaway.-Plot summary:...
was released in May 2009. The third book in the series Runaway has been released as well.
The book is about a teenage girl whose life is forever changed by the tragic accident that leaves her taking the identity of a supermodel, Nikki Howard. Thrown into a completely unfamiliar world, she's forced to hide her old identity in order to personify her current one.
Plot
Seventeen-year-old tomboy and anti-materialist Emerson Watts accompanies her sister Frida and her best friend Christopher to a Stark Megastore opening in SoHo, which is attended by the teen supermodel, Nikki Howard. In addition to Howard's celebrity presence, the British heartthrob, singer and songwriter Gabriel Luna makes an appearance. On that fateful day, one of the protesters shoots a plasma screen with a paint ball gun, snapping the wires. Em gallantly saves Frida from being hit by the plasma screen crashing down, and takes the hit herself.A month later, Em finds herself in the hospital, trying to recall what had happened. She finds out she is in Nikki Howard's body when she is kidnapped by Lulu Collins, Nikki's best friend and Brandon Stark, her on again off again boyfriend. She screams in the limo seeing she in Nikki Howard's body on the way to Nikki's loft. She tries to remember the events that went on during the last month, and Em finds out that not only did she die during the accident, but incidentally Nikki Howard had also suffered a fatality as well. Unknown to and without her permission, her brain is transplanted
Whole-body transplant
A whole-body transplant or brain transplant is a hypothetical operation that would move the brain of one being into the body of another. It is a procedure distinct from head transplant, which involves transferring the entire head to a new body, as opposed to the brain only...
into Nikki's brain-dead body, due to the fact Nikki suffered from a fatal collapse at the same time Em got hit. In an effort to save Em, her parents had agreed to a controversial brain transplant surgery offered free by Stark Industries, on condition that Em continues Nikki's career as the face of Stark Industries. From then on, Em is forced to live the high life while concealing her real identity or be faced with the contract penalty of two million dollars.
Em is forced to take on the role of Nikki Howard, all the while struggling with the fact that she does not have control over her life. She tries to let go of her tomboyish ways to take over the highly glamorous life that Nikki had lived. Although she is now dealing with Nikki's job, Nikki's friend Lulu and many boyfriends, she still fights to keep some of her old life by going back to school, also to face Christopher, on whom she has a secret crush. As Em follows through with Nikki's commitments (photo shoots, interviews, etc., not to mention continuing school at Tribeca Alternative High School), she realizes that the supermodel lifestyle is a lot harder than she perceived it to be...
Characters
- Emerson "Em" Watts/Nikki Howard-Forced to take the identity of supermodel Nikki Howard after Nikki and Em die. She has a crush on Christopher Maloney, and returns to Tribeca as Nikki to check on him.
- Lulu Collins-Nikki's best friend and daughter of the movie director who made Journeyquest, based on a game Em and Christopher used to play
- Brandon Stark-son of Robert Stark, creator of Stark Enterprises, and Nikki's on-again off-again boyfriend
- Christopher Maloney- Em's former best friend. After Em's death, he becomes withdrawn from life.
- Gabriel Luna - British singer, and Frida Watt's crush.
- Frida "Free" Watts-Em's fourteen-year-old sister who adores (the real) Nikki and Gabriel Luna. She becomes popular after she makes the JV Cheerleading squad.
- Robert Stark- creator of Stark Enterprises.
- Justin Bay- Star of Journeyquest the movie and Lulu's supposed boyfriend.