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The It Girl is a series of novels created by Cecily von Ziegesar, though the novels are ghostwritten. The series, aimed toward young adults, is a spin-off from the bestselling Gossip Girl series.

Jenny Humphrey serves as the series' central character. During her freshman year at Constance Billard School for Girls, an exclusive private school in New York City, Jenny got a few modeling jobs and took several risks that earned her a reputation for notorious behavior. Her risque behavior eventually led to her expulsion from the all-girls high school in New York. After touring several private schools, she applies and is admitted to Waverly Academy, an exclusive private school.

Like the Gossip Girl series, there is a break between every chapter with a narrative from less prominent characters. In this series, the characters use email and instant messaging to gossip and spread rumors about the primary characters.

Titles[]

Characters[]

Students[]

Jenny Humphrey[]

The main character of The It Girl, Jennifer "Jenny" Humphrey arrives at Waverly Academy after having been expelled from the Constance Billard School for Girls. Jenny is eager to reinvent herself as 'New Jenny,' a more confident and more popular version of her former self, and to make an impression on her new classmates. Although Jenny gets off to a rocky start at Waverly, the attention she receives from the other students generally gets more positive as the series progresses. She has curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, milky skin, and is known as a midget .

Callie Vernon[]

With strawberry-blond hair and warm hazel eyes, Callie Vernon’s all-preppy look suits her position as daughter of the governor of Georgia. Prior to the beginning of the series, Callie was best friends with Brett Messerschmidt and Tinsley Carmichael, and the three of them were the most popular girls at Waverly. However, the three of them got caught taking ecstasy during their sophomore year, which resulted in the expulsion of Tinsley and the probation of Brett and Callie.

Callie tends to turn to Tinsley for friendship and support more than anyone else, partly due to her deep-seated envy and admiration of her friend who always seems to have it together. The two usually team up against Jenny, whom Callie resents for stealing the beloved Easy Walsh away from her. However, Callie and Jenny do get along but their relationship is usually complicated by their ever changing love triangle with Easy Walsh.

Brett Messerschmidt[]

Smart, driven, and an all-rounder aiming to get into Brown, Brett Lenore Messerschmidt is among Waverly's elite. She stands out from her aristocratic classmates due to her jaded appearance: her hair is dyed red and she habitually wears seven gold earrings in one of her ears. She loves Dorothy Parker and often quotes the author to herself. Brett claims to have lost her virginity, and that her parents are doctors who run an organic farm in East Hampton but in actuality, she is a virgin, and her parents are nouveau riche from New Jersey (her father being a plastic surgeon). Brett is the junior class prefect and a member of the Disciplinary Committee.

Tinsley Carmichael[]

The leader of Waverly's elite, Tinsley Adea Carmichael makes a dramatic return in Notorious, after being unceremoniously kicked out at the end of her sophomore year for getting caught taking ecstasy with Callie Vernon and Brett Messerschmidt. It is revealed that Tinsley was the only one who was expelled because she was the only one who confessed to taking the drugs; Brett and Callie both denied it. She was accepted back into Waverly when the school authorities learned that she spent her summer in Africa producing a documentary with her father. Tinsley has violet eyes and shiny black hair to her shoulder blades.

Tinsley is described as a tall, model-thin and beautiful teenage girl who returns to Waverly after being kicked out at the end of her sophomore year. She is well-travelled, the life of a party and worldy, but also manipulative and vindictive.

She has violet eyes like Elizabeth Taylor's and shiny black hair to her shoulder blades.

Her father is a businessman who makes documentaries and travels the world, while her mother is a Danish-Portuguese former model and photojournalist.


Brandon Buchanan[]

Brandon Buchanan is something of a metrosexual. Despite being dumped by Callie Vernon for Easy Walsh, he remains hopelessly in love with Callie, hoping to win her back someday. Conversely, he has nothing but hate for Easy whom he feels stole Callie away from him. When Jenny Humphrey first arrives at Waverly, he is attracted to her, but is quickly disappointed when she first makes out with his horny roommate Heath Ferro, and later confesses to Brandon that she likes Easy. Nevertheless, Brandon remains a good friend to Jenny in spite of his perception that she has exceedingly poor taste in guys.

Benny Cunningham[]

A horsey looking girl, with brown hair and brown eyes, Benny Cunningham is a friend of Tinsley, Callie, and Brett. She is also Sage's best friend, but is crushed when she finds out that Sage is warming up to snobby Emily Jenkins. She comes from a very aristocratic background and is referred to as "American Royalty."[1]

Isaac Dresden[]

Isaac Dresden is the son of the new dean of Waverly, Dr. Henry Dresden, and brother to Isla Dresden. He has dark wavy/curly hair, pale green eyes, and smooth, tanned skin. Like the rest of the It Girl cast, he is unbelievably gorgeous and rich. He immediately takes a liking to Jenny. Together with Jenny, he plans a party at the dean's house[2] which went terribly wrong. Despite seeming sweet, he had some secrets.

Isla Dresden[]

Isla Dresden is the daughter of Waverly's new dean, Dr. Henry Dresden, and sister to Isaac Dresden. Like her brother, she has dark wavy hair and green eyes. Throughout the series, she goes from being Tinsley's best friend to her worst enemy. She tends to go to several different schools per semester due to her "high-spirited" behavior which includes having an affair with a Brad Pitt-like teacher at a school in Senegal. She loves to take risks and break the rules and takes advantage of her being a "daddy's girl" to easily manipulate her parents and others into giving her what she wants. She does her Jan Plan project with Tinsley[2] which causes the two to become fast friends but the two have a falling out when Isla blames Tinsley for breaking an expensive stained glass window. She attempts to explain herself to Tinsley by claiming that if their situations were reversed, Tinsley would've done exactly the same thing. However, Tinsley disagrees and ends their friendship.

Sage Francis[]

Best friends with Benny Cunningham, Sage Francis is initially thought to be just another ditzy, blonde, gossiping minion of Callie's but is revealed that she is very unpretentious and sweet. She has a crush on Brandon who finds out from Chloe Marymount, Dean Marymount's niece. The two begin dating but Sage breaks up with him because Brandon is "too sweet" and "too feminine."

Julian McCafferty[]

Tall, very hot, blond, and with a penchant for wearing funky T-shirts, Julian McCafferty is somewhat of a mystery to the other Waverly students. Despite being a freshman, he hangs out with the junior-year boys in his dorm, usually Heath Ferro and Brandon Buchanan. He doesn't talk about himself much. In Reckless, he kisses Tinsley Carmichael, but Tinsley insists that they keep their relationship a secret. Julian complies, but in Unforgettable he finds himself attracted to Jenny Humphrey, whom he often bumps into when hanging around Tinsley's dorm.

Yvonne Stidder[]

A saxophone player and member of the Jazz Band with a slight British accent, Yvonne Stidder is eager to join the in crowd, though she is generally ignored by the more important population of Waverly. Yvonne is the first girl Jenny meets at Waverly. In a game of "I Never" which kicks off most of the drama, Yvonne reveals that she is a virgin. Her house in New York is the main setting for Infamous, as she holds a party while her parents are away. She is known for her bad fashion sense and eagerness to boost her own popularity, which often fails dramatically and is laughed at by Tinsley and Heath especially.

Alan St. Girard[]

The roommate of Easy Walsh, Alan St. Girard is notorious for smoking pot and for never shaving his beard. He and Easy spend their times together playing on his Xbox in their dorm room and he dates Alison Quentin but the two break up over Thanksgiving break due to the fact that Alan is planning on meeting up with an old pot-smoking girlfriend and cannot promise to be faithful. In the last book of the series Alan and Callie are paired as perfect match. While the two do not get involved romantically, Alan gives Callie advice on how to deal with her feelings for both Brandon and Easy which backfires.

Sebastian Valenti[]

Brett has been ordered to tutor Sebastian Valenti in Tempted, the book in which he is introduced. He has shiny, long black hair which he puts gel in and has a New Jersey accent. He has "cheekbones that you only see in Armani ads," an olive skin tone, and dark, almost black eyes. In Tempted, he lets Jenny and Tinsley borrow his car. In Infamous, he gives Brett a ride to her house during Thanksgiving break. They realize his best friend used to date Brett in eighth grade. They flirt, argue and tease each other often. Brett later invites him to Thanksgiving under false pretenses. He likes her tacky cropped black shirt and leopard print skirt and her family's animal print furniture, and bonds well with her parents. In Adored, he and Brett make a bet about whether he knows how to attract girls - Sebastian claims that if he changed his appearance and put on a polo shirt, girls would chase after him. He goes on a couple of dates with Callie, who tries to morph him into her ideal boyfriend, making Brett go into a jealous rage. She finally admits her feelings towards Sebastian as they kiss and get together at the end of the novel. In Devious, Brett breaks up with him, after jumping into conclusions that he is talking to his past ex-girlfriends, only to be found later on that he was calling to tell them that he was off the dating market. He and Brett get back together in the end.

Easy Walsh[]

Artsy and mysterious, "Easy" Walsh pretty much stole Callie Vernon from her then-boyfriend Brandon Buchanan at a party during their sophomore year, causing Brandon to hate him. At the beginning of the series, Easy's feelings for Callie are cooling off, replaced by newfound feelings for Jenny Humphrey. At one point during the beginning of the year, Callie and Easy are about to sleep together when Easy accidentally topples Callie's nightstand, making an awful amount of noise. Callie leaves the room in disgust and Easy climbs into bed with Jenny, although nothing happens. The two of them are caught, and Callie persuades Easy to flirt with Jenny in order to make his supposed relationship with Jenny look authentic - all so that Jenny can take the fall. Easy finds himself drawn to Jenny and eventually dumps Callie for Jenny. Their relationship is exposed by Tinsley Carmichael when Tinsley sees the two in New York together.

However, in Reckless, things between Easy and Jenny start to cool off and Easy finds himself drawn once more to Callie. During Waverly's Trustee Weekend, Easy brings Callie to dinner with his father without telling Jenny, reasoning that Jenny might not be able to handle his hard-ass father the way Callie can. During dinner, Easy listens to Callie talk and joke around with his father and his old feelings come rushing back - more so after Callie defends Easy when his father lectures him about his art. Later on, during a dorm party, Easy kisses Callie. Unfortunately, their dinner date is exposed by Tinsley, causing Jenny and Easy to later break up.

In Lucky, Easy begins to become suspicious that Callie and Tinsley are trying to pin the fire on Jenny. Easy discusses the issue with Brandon Buchanan who speaks against it. Despite Brandon's opinion, Easy's suspicion deepens. After confronting Callie, he finds out that she was scheming with Tinsley and he angrily walks away.

In Tempted, Easy is still mad at Callie for what she did to Jenny and calls her a spoiled bitch, causing Callie to decide go away on a vacation suggested by her mother, which ends up in fact being a rehab facility in Maine. In the end, after Jenny and Tinsley inform Easy of Callie's predicament, Easy goes to retrieve her and ends up fortuitously saving her from death. The two end up together again. The happiness is short-lived however when the principal meets them at the airport and since Easy had been on probation for bad behaviour is then expelled from Waverly.

In Infamous, Easy is no longer attending Waverly but is at military school. He gives Callie a ring and asks her to meet him in New York after he sneaks out of military school. Callie instantly accepts. However she loses the ring after a snowball fight with a boy named Ellis she met at Yvonne Stidder's party and decides that she can no longer be with Easy and dumps him.

In Devious, Easy comes back to Waverly. At a party, the new dean's daughter falls through the glass ceiling and when Easy catches her, the dean lets him back into Waverly. He sees Callie at the party, holding hands with Brandon, but when she sees Easy, she immediately abandons any thoughts for Brandon. Callie later finds Easy in the stables. She doesn't think things are actually done between her and Easy.

Kara Whalen[]

Kara Whalen first makes an appearance in Reckless during a party held at Dumbarton. She becomes popular after throwing beer in Heath's face as revenge for teasing her when she was fat. Her mother is a fashion designer, which also contributes to her popularity. Sage, Benny and the others are known for wearing her clothes. In Unforgettable, Kara is having a rather close relationship with one of the Waverly girls and they keep it a secret until Callie reveals it during The Cinephiles party.

Heath Ferro[]

Heath Ferro is similar to the character Chuck Bass from the original Gossip Girl series. Heath is attractive, wealthy, egotistical, and major womanizer as well as being obnoxious and as big of a gossip as any girl at Waverly. Yet, he has a dorky side which includes being a fan of comic books and superheroes.He and his roommate Brandon Buchanan do not always get along due to Heath's messy habits. In the first It Girl novel, he was nicknamed "Pony" because he got more ass than a pony at a county fair. Despite the suggestions otherwise, in Unforgettable, Heath proves himself to be trustworthy when he keeps a lesbian relationship a secret. However, he falls in love with Kara, who initially rejected him due to his teasing of her during freshman year. For someone who never really cared about his relationships, Heath was surprisingly deeply hurt about the breakup. In Adored, he was mentioned to have been looking out for Kara during the Inferno party he hosted, probably in hopes of getting back with her. Heath and Brandon's relationship throughout the series improved somewhat, mostly in part to his break-up with Kara which allowed Brandon and Heath to empathize with each other.

Faculty[]

Eric Dalton[]

One of the famous "Daltons," Eric Dalton flirts with Brett Messerschmidt and then almost has sex with her. In Notorious, he ditches Brett for the next hot thing, Tinsley Carmichael. When Brett exposes the affair to the public of Waverly, Eric Dalton is dismissed, and Tinsley is once again the "talk of the town".

Henry Dresden[]

Waverly's new dean, Dr. Henry Dresden has two children: Isla and Isaac. Like his children he is rather good looking. He is surprisingly a good chef. He is not as strict as Marymount, but isn't laid-back either. Upon finding out a party was held at his house he punishes the entire school.[2] He has thick steel-gray hair and is in his late forties. He teaches Advanced Comp Lit in the spring semester.

Ben Greenwood[]

Benjamin "Ben" Greenwood is the groundskeeper at Waverly. He was rumored to have been bribed by Heath with a Cartier watch to keep his mouth shut after catching Heath smoking pot on the soccer field.

Other faculty members[]

  • Mrs. Horniman: An advisor at Waverly, she assigns Brett with the project of tutoring Sebastian.
  • Monsieur Lamont: The French teacher at Waverly.
  • Dean Marymount: The Dean of Waverly who is a stickler for rules, he remains in his position up until Devious. He is known for wearing sweater-vests and his balding head. He is having an affair with Angelica Pardee.
  • Ms. Nemerov: The tennis coach at Waverly, she is so dedicated to her job that she designed workouts for each tennis player. She played for Russia in the Barcelona Olympics.
  • Ms. Mariel Pritchard: One of Waverly's advisors, she serves as Brandon's academic advisor.
  • Ms. Kathryn Rose: A young female teacher who often is described as looking like an adolescent, she is Jenny's English teacher.
  • Coach Smail: The girls' field hockey coach who is known as letting girls skip practice with anything period related.
  • Mr. Shepard: One of Waverly's advisors and head of the theater department, he has long hair and is rumored to smoke pot. He was a Vietnam protester who dodged the draft by sneaking over the Canadian border and starting a hippie commune in British Columbia.
  • Professor Dunderdorf: Brandon and Heath's former German teacher, he is tricked by them in Infamous into inviting them to his home for Thanksgiving. There they met his daughters Helga ("Hellie") and Gretchen.
  • Angelica Pardee: Dumbarton's dorm adviser, she is having an affair with Dean Marymount.
  1. von Ziegesar, Cecily (2005). The It Girl. New York: Little Brown
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 von Ziegesar, Cecily (2009). Devious. New York: Alloy Entertainment.
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