the buzz log

Break out the nameplate necklaces, girls. Carrie Bradshaw is back. Or, she will be—in a much younger form.

HarperCollins announced this week that it will publish two novels about "Sex and the City" character Carrie Bradshaw in her high school years. The prequels will be written by Candace Bushnell, the author of the New York Observer columns that inspired the HBO hit and launched a thousand cosmos across bars nationwide.

In a glimpse of what we'll get in the books, Bushnell released a statement about everybody's favorite sex columnist in that hallowed teenaged time: "Carrie in high school did not follow the crowd—she led it. It was there that she began observing and commenting on the social scene." "Square Pegs," this ain't.

The audience certainly seems primed for another round with the woman who would become Mrs. Big. In the last week alone, queries rose for "sex and the city movie," "sex and the city dvd," and—hello, global reach—"bollywood sex and the city." Carrie herself also continues to motivate searchers, sparking lookups for "carrie bradshaw quotes," "carrie bradshaw fashion," and "carrie bradshaw hairstyles."

But can a franchise based on grown-up women acting grown up translate to the halls of 10th grade? Will viewers trade the Fendi baguettes for fugly braces and lockers? Fans eager to find out will have to cool their well-shod heels. The first book isn't slated to be published until 2010.