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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Funny and witty, a bit clichè, but ending was decent. Overall a good read.
Ben Philippe's debut novel features Norris Kaplan, who is moving to Austin Texas from Montreal. As he tries to adjust to the huge culture shock, the sweltering heat, and trying to make friends, he records his sometimes acerbic thoughts in a notebook. He manages to get a job, makes a friend, and even helps start a hockey team. Norris meets the beautiful Aarti who quickly becomes the object of his affection and occasional date. Overcoming his homesickness, he finally feels at home in Austin, even wanting to go a real junior prom. When he attends the prom with his friend Madison, but runs into Aarti at the after party with her ex, everything starts to unravel.
Norris is a protagonist you find yourself rooting for, even when his antics are cringeworthy. Aarti and Madison are both likeable, despite being foils for each other. Philippe's writing is sharp, sometimes incisive, and always insightful. Highly recommend his books (see also: [b:Charming as a Verb|49867239|Charming as a Verb|Ben Philippe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582830300l/49867239._SX50_.jpg|74949254]).
Norris is a protagonist you find yourself rooting for, even when his antics are cringeworthy. Aarti and Madison are both likeable, despite being foils for each other. Philippe's writing is sharp, sometimes incisive, and always insightful. Highly recommend his books (see also: [b:Charming as a Verb|49867239|Charming as a Verb|Ben Philippe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1582830300l/49867239._SX50_.jpg|74949254]).
Listening to Norris crazed notebook ramblings and inner monologue can be quite difficult at times. Difficult in the way that I have thought those thoughts and felt those feelings. One key difference is I'm better at filtering the awful, but witty things that flow through my mind. This is one of those truly believable novels in the sheer ways that folks are awful but sometimes in the end we might find we're the problem.
This book ended up being so different from what I had expected! Though I shouldn’t be too surprised, since this is Philippe’s debut novel, so he’s definitely a new-to-me author. The main character of this book, Norris, was likeable for me from the start, and there was a lot of snarky humour sprinkled throughout this book, which was great. I think that I liked the humour the most, if I had to pick a top favourite thing!
It was also quite interesting to read about Texas from the perspective of a fellow Canadian, even if he is from a different part of Canada than me. I can definitely understand how Norris must have felt when he moved from Montreal, Quebec to Austin, Texas (especially as a teen).
I also loved how this book pointed out that nothing is really black and white, even when it comes to high school students, cliques, teachers, etc. (I won’t say any more about that, though, because I might spoil something.) Another thing that I really liked about The Field Guide to the North American Teenager was how the characters were portrayed.
The story is told from Norris’ perspective, so we learn about Norris (there was definitely some self-discovery involved), as well as the other characters, at the same pace as he is. The way that this book is written made me feel as if I was experiencing a lot of things with Norris, or at the same time as Norris, which in turn made me feel very invested in the characters and what was going to happen. I definitely enjoyed this one and will for sure be keeping an eye on this author and what he’ll publish next!
It was also quite interesting to read about Texas from the perspective of a fellow Canadian, even if he is from a different part of Canada than me. I can definitely understand how Norris must have felt when he moved from Montreal, Quebec to Austin, Texas (especially as a teen).
I also loved how this book pointed out that nothing is really black and white, even when it comes to high school students, cliques, teachers, etc. (I won’t say any more about that, though, because I might spoil something.) Another thing that I really liked about The Field Guide to the North American Teenager was how the characters were portrayed.
The story is told from Norris’ perspective, so we learn about Norris (there was definitely some self-discovery involved), as well as the other characters, at the same pace as he is. The way that this book is written made me feel as if I was experiencing a lot of things with Norris, or at the same time as Norris, which in turn made me feel very invested in the characters and what was going to happen. I definitely enjoyed this one and will for sure be keeping an eye on this author and what he’ll publish next!
What a sweet surprise this book was! I've been slogging through some big fictional tomes and it's been my last two YA titles that have been engaging and in the case of 'The Field Guide to the North American Teenager'--delightfully funny quite often. Fish out of water stories have a certain comforting predictability to them, but the protagonist at the center of this one, 16-year-old black French-Canadian Norris Kaplan, new to the US, Austin, and Anderson HS, is a snarky delight to spend time with and the collection of supporting characters--cheerleader Madison, loner Liam, jock ("hairy armpits" Patrick, and the artsy Aarti are all equally developed.
This book was hilarious! I really enjoyed the narrator and I really liked that the ending wasn’t tied up in a nice package which made it feel more real.
I’d say 3.5 stars instead of just 3, but I’m also a generally high tipper. So there are parts of this book that I loved for the simple fact that they bring up some tough topics that teens go through, much less black immigrants. There are also parts that could’ve been elaborated or just expanded upon. Overall, cute read.
In my attempt to assess dozens of books for a sales meeting, I tend to read a chapter or two of each and move on. But I'll be damned if I didn't read the entirety of this thing. Norris's version of snark is absolutely hysterical, and the evolution of the character made me cackle.
You know it's a fun book when I find myself reading entire paragraphs out loud to my husband, or taking pictures of pages to send to other writer friends, and this had it.
Also, Liam. That's all.
I kept thinking that I could stop and skim at a certain point. But... yeah, I read the whole thing.
You know it's a fun book when I find myself reading entire paragraphs out loud to my husband, or taking pictures of pages to send to other writer friends, and this had it.
Also, Liam. That's all.
I kept thinking that I could stop and skim at a certain point. But... yeah, I read the whole thing.
This isn’t the most revolutionary or innovative book I’ve ever read, but it is a nice high school story with interesting characters.
This was fun, snarky, and a good look at high school.