Designed to be read like a novel, this devotional teaches 9- to 12-year-old girls how to have a relationship with God! Ever since childhood, Izzy Stevens has dreamed of becoming the world's next singing sensation. But God has plans of his own---and Izzy soon discovers that living for him is "way cooler" than fame. 256 pages, softcover from Nelson.

Average Customer Rating:

3.8

out of

(10 Reviews) 10

Rating Snapshot (10 reviews)

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6 out of 1060%customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Review 1 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

3 out of 5

Entertaining daily devo about finding yourself

Date:April 14, 2013

Karielle Stephanie

Location:Seoul, South Korea

Age:18-24

Gender:female

Quality:

3 out of 5

Value:

3 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

3 out of 5

Hollywood native Izzy Baxter has come far with her pop star dream. As a contestant of "International Pop Star Challenge," she travels to Harajuku, Paris, Buenos Aires, and New York to finally make that dream come true, but she's going to have to overcome life's obstacles before she gets there. Izzy's Pop Star Plan is a 90-day devotional with strong Christian approaches on dealing with jealousy, anger, grief, sadness, moving on, helping others, disappointment, intimidation, good tidings, displaying faith, companionship, abandonment, staying true to yourself and your faith, dating, teenage rebellion, heartbreak, standing out, and worship and praise.

The story isn't that exciting; I wasn't exactly excited to see what happened next. It just describes day-to-day things, and I definitely saw the "happily ever after" coming, but the few dramatic twists and turns in the middle are worthwhile. Izzy's discoveries and personal dilemmas are well-portrayed and the way she faces her fears and makes tough decisions is moving and affecting.

Izzy as a narrator is likable enough, but the main problem I had is how UNCHARACTERISTICALLY she acts for a 16-year-old. She's way too mature and her thinking process is literally that of an adult's; I don't care how "Christian" she is... teenagers just don't act that way. On the other hand, sometimes she acts like a baby, crying every time her father leaves the house, refusing to date guys because her dad told her not to (hello???), and being too dependent on other people. And yet she discovers, on her own, God's messages? The character is just unrealistic and contradictory to me. She doesn't act like an adolescent; she acts either childishly and immaturely, or like a boring adult, so I couldn't quite place her as a real person. However, I was proud of her because she overcomes her homesickness and the challenges thrown her way, in order to pursue her lifelong aspirations; she's a dynamic character and Marestaing did a great job demonstrating her growth through gospel.

Overall, her, her family, and her friends are living in a naïve, blind Christian world that doesn't realistically depict real life, but then again this is a juvenile novel so I guess Marestaing was aiming for the grossly oversimplified and positive outlook.

Izzy's Pop Star Plan is a Christian-tinted self-improvement devo set to an agreeable tune. As a devotional, this book is very heavy on God-this and God-that—way too preachy for me—but as a debut novel, it's sentimental and promising.

Pros: Blog format with comments—felt like a real online journal // Evocative of countries Izzy travels to // Solid Christian approaches to everyday human emotions and difficulties // Lots of character growth

Cons: Not very exciting or fun // Very predictable // Izzy doesn't act like a 16-year-old... she acts like she's 30 one day, and 3 on another. There's sadly no in-between // Competition results are way too idealized; nothing disappointing ever happens to her career // Preachy

Verdict: Touching and full of the honest emotion only found in a teenager's diary, Alex Marestaing's first novel is an entertaining daily devotional about finding yourself through friends, family, new experiences, new people, good music, and of course, God. Izzy takes readers with her on her adventures around the world, giving fascinating glimpses of the reality show industry, pop star fame, and Christian lifestyle. I personally didn't enjoy the cheery storyline that seemed to always be favorable to the main character, but I do think middle-grade girls (ages 9-12) will like it.

6 out of 10 hearts (3 stars): Satisfying for a first read, but I'm not going back.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by BookSneeze in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!).

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Review 2 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Date:August 23, 2011

Jelly Fish

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

Izzy's Popstar Plan was written by Alex Marestaing. This book starts out in Hollywood, about a week before Izzy gets to do a live audition for the the popular TV show "The International Popstar Challenge."

Izzy Baxter is a sixteen year old girl who has dreamed of becoming a Popstar ever since she was six years old, when she created her own Popstar Plan.

When Izzy auditions for "The International Popstar Challenge," it looks like her dreams are going to come true. Then, things change, and it looks like God has other plans.

I enjoyed this book, because even when things get tough, Izzy is always sure that God has a plan for her life.

You can learn more about Izzy and her Popstar Plan @ http://www.izzyspopstarplan.com/

BookSneeze® has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.

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Review 3 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Is it what I want to encourage?

Date:March 30, 2011

Anonymous

Top 500 Contributor

Location:Borger, TX

Age:55-65

Gender:female

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

3 out of 5

I'm so torn over this book. As far as the devotions go, it's wonderful. This book is geared for girls 9-12 years old. I have granddaughters that age--which is why I asked to review the book for BookSneeze. But as far as the story line goes, it makes me afraid to share the book with them. The book reads like a blog and is the story of Izzy Baxter, a 14-year-old girl on her way to stardom in the Pop Star Challenge (a contest like American Idol). That's the reason I'm divided on what kind of review to give. I hate promoting the whole stardom idea---even though Izzy does learn that it's more important to serve God than to be famous. Izzy learns some tough lessons through the death of her mom, the betrayal of her friends, the disappearance of her friend, Ms. Adelina and some hard choices she had to make. I also didn't like the fact that Izzy has a love interest at such a young age. The book did have an original ending--encouraging the reader to go online to view Izzy's website which includes videos.

I guess it's the world our 9-12 year olds live in. They're surrounded by Hannah Montana, Justin Bieber and other young stars. I appreciate that the author at least used the story line to direct these young girls to God. The devotions were right on target. I'm just undecided whether my granddaughters will get to read the book. I don't want to encourage the whole Pop Star attitude.

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Review 4 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

2 out of 5

Izzy's Popstar Plan

Date:March 28, 2011

simplysusan

Location:central Texas

Age:35-44

Gender:female

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

2 out of 5

I can honestly say that this is not a devotional that I would necessarily recommend for tweens. It’s definitely being promoted to the “Miley” generation of tweens, but I really felt that the whole focus of Izzy trying to be a pop star rather self-centered and worldly. I do think that some of the devotional messages were good, but the over all idea of this was just too worldly for my tastes. If I had daughters, I wouldn’t allow them to use this devotional. BUT, I do think it makes for a nice change for girls who are already fans of “Hannah Montana” and the like, but their parents would like to try to get them interested in a more Christ-like storyline and a better role model.

NOTICE:
I received this book free for giving my honest review on it, good or bad. Thanks to Book Sneeze!

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Review 5 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

A fun story with strong Christian influences

Date:March 14, 2011

Mom of 4

Izzy's Pop Star Plan, a book by Alex Marestaing that describes itself as a daily devo that reads like a novel, takes the reader through Izzy's steps and missteps on her road to becoming, well, a pop star. It's set up as though the reader is accessing her blog, which she updates daily. You meet her family (her mom died when she was younger, and she lives in an apartment in California with her brother and dad), her friends (best friend Maddie and Izzy have a note passing system between their houses that they call Bird Mail), her neighbors (Ms. Adelina, an Argentinian opera star),and her church and youth group (Pastor Ryan and his wife Stephanie). You also watch her learn how to make tough choices and navigate many ups and downs in her effort to become a pop star, sometimes more gracefully than others.

I appreciated the excellent use of scripture to support Izzy's problems and decisions. Every piece of scripture used should be a memory verse for each of us. It was also apparent that when Izzy was out of the Word and not heeding wise counsel, her life was taking turns for the worse. Additionally, Izzy ends almost every blog post with 'That's my prayer, what's yours?' which gives the reader a perfect opportunity to reflect and meditate on the scripture and encourages her to pray what's on her heart.

I initially thought this would be a great devotional to read with my eleven year old daughter, but after reading it, I would definitely wait until she's a little older. The subject matter ranging from the desire to compete in the International Pop Star Challenge (we're not American Idol fans), to dating and first loves is a little too mature for her. However, I see this as being a must read for her in the very near future.

Unfortunatley, I don't think we'll be able to stretch it out for the 90 days the devotional takes! Even I had a hard time putting the book down after a single entry, wanting to know what will happen next. It was easy to get wrapped up in Izzy's character and want the best for her.

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Review 6 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

3 out of 5

Date:February 19, 2011

Queen of Brussels Sprouts

Quality:

3 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

2 out of 5

Izzy’s Pop Star Plan by Alex Marestaing is a cute little story/devotional combo about a young girl who tries to follow her dreams to be a pop star while still following God’s will and designs for her life. I was given this book for free by booksneeze.com in exchange for a fair and honest review. The book reads more like a diary than a blog as described in the synopsis. The main story line is written in a “teenager-ish”, somewhat airheaded voice. However, the Heart sections in each devotional, which focus on the spiritual lesson Izzy is learning, have a much more mature and calm voice. It is a quick and simple read, and the story helps girls to learn that serving God comes before personal success. There is an underlying theme of how Izzy continues to cope with the death of her mother, making this book a possible resource for young girls in a similar situation. I did not enjoy reading this book, but I would guess that a pre-teen girl would enjoy it very much.

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Review 7 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Izzy's Pop Star Plan

Date:February 12, 2011

cindy

Top 1000 Contributor

I recently read Izzy’s Pop Star Plan by Alex Marestaing with the plan of giving it to my cousin to read since she loves to sing and play instruments.
The book is written from Izzy Baxter’s point of view in the form of an Internet Blog which can be read as a daily devotional. Each day is about two pages long, and it covers 90 days, so it’s ideal for a child to read a chapter each day. I also liked how each chapter had comments that were Bible Verses.

The main concept of the book is that Izzy enters a singing competition, called the International Pop Star Challenge, after years of dreaming of becoming a famous singer. She begins to travel around the world to pursue her dreams. At the end of the book, there is a note that you have to check a website to see who won the competition. I especially liked this since I tend to read the last page before I finish the book to find out what happens, and this makes sure no young reader does the same thing 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

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Review 8 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Cute tween devotional

Date:January 30, 2011

Avid Reader

Location:Montreal, QC

Age:25-34

Gender:female

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

4 out of 5

Izzy’s Pop Star Plan is a daily devotional book by Alex Marestaing that reads like a fiction novel. It is compiled of 90 blog entries thus making it for 90 days and giving the devotional a modern day feel. This book is for girls between the ages of 12-18 years old. While the main character, Izzy, is 16 years old I feel that girls younger than that can benefit from this book as well. This book might not be best for more mature teenagers.

Izzy’s Pop Star Plan is about a teenage girl who wants to become the next star. One reason this is great is because it ties into popular culture today. Readers can draw connections to American Idol and many young girls dream of being the next big thing. I also think it portrays what life as a star can be like and it isn’t as glamorous as it seems.

Being a teenager can be really rough, trying to make decisions on your own while still living under your parent’s roof. This is also a time when God can have some pretty important things to say. This book is good because it has a strong female character who is trying to take time to achieve her goals and listen to God while learning that maybe what God wants for her is what she really wants for herself.

Personally, I found the book to be pretty lighthearted and read easy. I would recommend this book to younger girls (12-14) as opposed to older girls as I think that the issues dealt with in this book might not be what older teens are facing. I like that the books is only for 90 days thus making it not too hard to stick with. Having the book read like a novel also draws the reader in and leaves them wanting more, wanting to find out what happens next thus picking the book back up again and reading another day.

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Review 9 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

5 out of 5

Perfect for Teenagers

Date:January 26, 2011

Nina

Location:Manila, Philippines

Age:25-34

Gender:female

Quality:

5 out of 5

Value:

5 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

5 out of 5

Who among us did not want to be a pop star when we were younger? I admit I imagined myself eclipsing Britney Spears at some point in my teens, but apparently I was meant for other 'bigger things' so instead of going to Hollywood, I went to college and got myself a nursing degree (ignore the fact that what I call dancing is actually just swaying side to side and my singing is better kept within family gatherings; except for church choir but hey singing alto is not very difficult - for me that is.). Enter Izzy Baxter, a young lady who dreamed of being a pop star since she was six years old and singing with her hairbrush in the bathroom for hours, pretending to be performing in a huge concert. In helping her reach her dreams, she would practice singing and write songs every day and lead the worship in their Christian church group. Readers are treated to a blog account of what happens in Izzy's life as she prepared for her audition for the hit television show, International Pop Star Challenge. Adding to the whole inspirational and devotional aspect were Bible passages and prayers related to a particular blog entry.

Story-wise, I thought the writing was very solid and believable, yet imaginative. This is the first time I read a story written through blog entries and I admire unique presentations of a story. It's difficult to maintain that authenticity when writing a blog post because the prose becomes too impersonal and too 'out there' that you just read for the sake of reading, not really for getting into the story. In this case, it was done creatively that you find yourself getting sucked into Izzy's world and feeling like you were actually there just reading through her 'blog.' You also don't just get into what's currently happening to Izzy, you can also read between the lines with what's happening to her friends and family. For example, there was an incident wherein Izzy had a covert falling out with her best friend and although it was not too obvious and told through Izzy's perspective, you knew how the best friend felt as there were no blog comments from her for a few days and even when she commented, it sounded stilted and reserved and you knew that things weren't fine yet. Just because the story was told through Izzy's point of view did not lessen the experience of getting to know the other characters involved.

Non-fiction-wise, this daily devotional that read like a novel kicked up the standard of daily devotional books a notch as it made each day's message more inspiring and enlightening through Izzy's story. The reader would be able to appreciate the Bible passages more as Izzy's story provided a good example for what the verses talked about. This is a good book for young girls and teenagers to read daily, I am very sure that this would help them get through their daily lives and following their dreams. For an adult of twenty-five, I found this pretty moving and empowering and it made me feel closer to God because I was able to recognize His hand through everything that happened in Izzy's life, which in turn made me see His hand in everything that happened in mine. This is a very compelling and endearing read that many people would enjoy.

If you are like Izzy who has a dream to reach - and I bet we all have one - this is a very good book to read in order to help you make yours a reality, and to understand God's plan for everything that happens in your life. That sometimes, what you want may not be what God wants for you, but He has something greater that would fit you even better than what you wanted for yourself. If anything, this book tells us that everything happens for a reason, and that what you want is not always what you need - what you need may even be better than what you wanted, after all.

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Review 10 for Izzy's Popstar Plan

Overall Rating:

4 out of 5

Uniquely written book for tweens

Date:January 10, 2011

Brenda I

Top 1000 Contributor

Location:Omaha, NE

Age:25-34

Gender:female

Quality:

4 out of 5

Value:

4 out of 5

Meets Expectations:

4 out of 5

Izz'y Popstar Plan by Alex Marestaing is a uniquely written novel, that is written in a daily devotional format. Yet to make it appeal to modern living, it is set up in a blog format. This is a book geared to preteens or early teens. The main character is Izzy Baxter who has big plans to be a popstar. She decides to participate in a T.V. show Challenge. She learns that God has other plans for her and they turn out to be much cooler than what she thought her plans were. At the end of each daily blog, their is Izzy's prayer then it ask what your prayer would be. Their is also a couple of post at the end of her blogs to help you think.

I thought this was a cute book. I give it 4 stars. I'm not exactly sure how it would set with tweens. I think they would like it especially that their is a website that goes along with the book. I'm not sure what the best way to read the book is...is it more a novel or a devotional. Either way it is good information for young girls, especially ones who may not have a lot of contact with God. This is well written and reads very fast.
I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

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