Tuesday, June 16, 2020

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

My latest read is The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe, this year's winner of the William C. Morris Award for the best YA debut.  And that award was very deserved.  This novel was fun and funny, but also thought-provoking.  It is a look in to the life of teenagers, but also an outsider's story of trying to fit in to that typical life.  It is about finding your way in the world and figuring out how to make it all work.  And in the end, it's a story not about the messes we make, but what we do to clean them up.  I highly recommend!

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is the story of Norris Kaplan, a Black French Canadian who suddenly finds his life uprooted as he moves to Austin, Texas.  The temperature is too hot, the cheerleaders are too full of themselves, and the sports are too "not hockey."  He is miserable in his new life, but as he leans in and gives Austin a chance, he finds it may not be too bad.  He has a job, has made a few friends, met a girl (or two), and even helped start a hockey team.  Everything seems to be looking up for Norris. That is until one night when he messes everything up.  His world falls apart and now me must figure out how to put all the pieces back together again.  

From Amazon:

William C. Morris YA Debut Award Winner!

A hilarious YA contemporary realistic novel about a witty Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the joys, clichés, and awkward humiliations of the American high school experience—including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, When Dimple Met Rishi, and John Green. This young adult novel is an excellent choice for accelerated tween readers in grades 7 to 8, especially during homeschooling. It’s a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.

Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas.

Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs.

Yet against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris…like loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making.

But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life—along with the people who have found their way into his heart.

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