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The field guide to the North American teenager  Cover Image Book Book

The field guide to the North American teenager

Philippe, Ben (author.).

Summary: When Norris, a black French Canadian, starts his junior year at an Austin, Texas, high school, he views his fellow students as cliches from "a bad 90s teen movie."

Record details

  • ISBN: 0062824112 (hardback)
  • ISBN: 9780062824110 (hardback)
  • Physical Description: 372 pages ; 22 cm
    print
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, c2019.

Content descriptions

Awards Note:
William C. Morris winner, 2020
Subject: Single-parent families Fiction
Haitian Americans Fiction
Canadian Americans Fiction
Moving, Household Fiction
Schools Fiction
High schools Fiction
Interpersonal relations Fiction

Available copies

  • 1 of 2 copies available at Kenton County. (Show)
  • 1 of 2 copies available at Kenton County Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Covington Branch YA PHILL B (Text) 33126022688471 YA Fiction Checked out 05/03/2024
Erlanger Branch YA PHILL B (Text) 33126022688497 YA Fiction Available -

  • School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2019 January

    Gr 7 Up–Seventeen-year-old Norris Kaplan has just had his world turned upside-down. When his mother has to relocate to find work in her field, Norris finds his identity as a Black, French-Canadian hockey fan challenged by his new existence in the suburbs of Austin, Texas. While on the surface this is a classic fish-out-of-water tale, there are many more layers to the story. Lots of different elements of identity are brought to bear in Norris's narration: his Haitian/immigrant heritage, racial identity, and viewpoint on American high school stereotypes. The protagonist's smart and funny demeanor will engage readers, even when he makes obviously bad decisions. Norris is particularly adept at letting his assumptions about his peers impact his ability to relate to them as individuals, either as friends or romantically. The authorial decision to have the "outsider" be the character influenced by stereotypes rather than the opposite makes for a very compelling reversal that ultimately works. The unresolved ending allows teens to revel in the messiness of high school social blunders and see the value in doing the hard work of making amends. VERDICT A witty debut with whip-smart dialogue that will find much love among fans of authors like John Green and Jason Reynolds.—Kristin Lee Anderson, Jackson County Library Services, OR

    Copyright 2019 School Library Journal.

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