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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a cute book. A little predictable, and anticlimactic at the end, but overall enjoyable.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"It wasn’t the happy ending he wanted but, then again, there were no such things as happy endings. Happy endings were artificial things manufactured out of less-than-ideal circumstances."
Norris Kaplan is too smart for his own good, decent at hockey and ice skating by Canadian standards (amazing by American standards), and perfectly fine with burning bridges--it's so much faster than building them.
Now, thanks to his mother's quest for a tenure track position, Norris is also Austin, Texas' newest and unhappiest resident. As a black French Canadian, everything in Texas feels like a personal affront. No one knows cares about hockey. His school assumes he won't speak English. Not to mention going literally anywhere outside feels exactly like walking on the surface of the sun.
In this fresh hell Norris is expected to attend school, make new friends (as if any of them can replace his best friend back home in Canada), and actually make an effort to fit in. The only problem is that Norris would much rather go it alone and convince everyone (including himself) that he likes it that way.
The real question for Norris is if after spending so long pushing everyone away, is there anyone left in his high school (or the entire city) who is actually willing to accept Norris as he is? in The Field Guide to the North American Teenager (2019) by Ben Philippe.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is Philippe's debut novel. Philippe's close third person narration is as snarky as it is on point as Norris shares observations about his new surroundings ranging from caustic to poignant. Each chapter opens with an observation pulled from the field guide Norris begins keeping about his new high school while trying his best to avoid enjoying anything in Texas.
This romantic comedy is the perfect blend of humor and literary prose as Norris tries to make sense of his new surroundings and the ever-confusing world of dating. The story subverts several familiar tropes as Norris tries to connect with the local Manic Pixie Dream Girl and horrifyingly finds himself the captain of a misfit community hockey team.
Snappy dialogue and a winning cast of characters more than make up for a meandering plot and an ending that is widely open to interpretation as readers (and Norris himself) wonder what a happy ending might actually look like for him.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is the aged up Diary of a Wimpy Kid/Harriet the Spy mashup that we have always deserved. Recommended for readers who prefer their protagonists to be 85% snark, 10% enthusiasm, and 5% genuine sincerity.
Possible Pairings: The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhatena, American Panda by Gloria Chao, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo, Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke, My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma, Frankly in Love by David Yoon
Norris Kaplan is too smart for his own good, decent at hockey and ice skating by Canadian standards (amazing by American standards), and perfectly fine with burning bridges--it's so much faster than building them.
Now, thanks to his mother's quest for a tenure track position, Norris is also Austin, Texas' newest and unhappiest resident. As a black French Canadian, everything in Texas feels like a personal affront. No one knows cares about hockey. His school assumes he won't speak English. Not to mention going literally anywhere outside feels exactly like walking on the surface of the sun.
In this fresh hell Norris is expected to attend school, make new friends (as if any of them can replace his best friend back home in Canada), and actually make an effort to fit in. The only problem is that Norris would much rather go it alone and convince everyone (including himself) that he likes it that way.
The real question for Norris is if after spending so long pushing everyone away, is there anyone left in his high school (or the entire city) who is actually willing to accept Norris as he is? in The Field Guide to the North American Teenager (2019) by Ben Philippe.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is Philippe's debut novel. Philippe's close third person narration is as snarky as it is on point as Norris shares observations about his new surroundings ranging from caustic to poignant. Each chapter opens with an observation pulled from the field guide Norris begins keeping about his new high school while trying his best to avoid enjoying anything in Texas.
This romantic comedy is the perfect blend of humor and literary prose as Norris tries to make sense of his new surroundings and the ever-confusing world of dating. The story subverts several familiar tropes as Norris tries to connect with the local Manic Pixie Dream Girl and horrifyingly finds himself the captain of a misfit community hockey team.
Snappy dialogue and a winning cast of characters more than make up for a meandering plot and an ending that is widely open to interpretation as readers (and Norris himself) wonder what a happy ending might actually look like for him.
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager is the aged up Diary of a Wimpy Kid/Harriet the Spy mashup that we have always deserved. Recommended for readers who prefer their protagonists to be 85% snark, 10% enthusiasm, and 5% genuine sincerity.
Possible Pairings: The Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhatena, American Panda by Gloria Chao, The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert, Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo, Barely Missing Everything by Matt Mendez, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon, Nice Try, Jane Sinner by Lianne Oelke, My So-Called Bollywood Life by Nisha Sharma, Frankly in Love by David Yoon
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read as an offering for my Sophomores. This book was funny, cute, and well done! Norris is a black, French Canadian who moves to Austin, TX with his mom. He experiences culture shock as he navigates life in a large, suburban American high school. My only complaint is the open-ended epilogue…would definitely read a sequel!
2.5
This book honestly was just a little boring for the whole first half, and the plot was very predictable. I don’t hold anything against it, it just wasn’t my type of book.
*some strong language
This book honestly was just a little boring for the whole first half, and the plot was very predictable. I don’t hold anything against it, it just wasn’t my type of book.
*some strong language
My favorite thing about this book is Norris’s voice. I’m a total sucker for witty banter, and he’s full of quips and side comments. Some tender moments completely sneaked up on me, too. His conversation with his mother about his mistakes had me in tears. I couldn’t help asking myself how many moms have exactly that conversation with their black sons. It shouldn’t be that way.
I felt like Aarti and Madison had really similar voices, so that sometimes I couldn’t tell them apart. I also didn’t totally follow the sharp turn where Norris ends up apologizing to Aarti toward the end. (Sorry, trying not to include spoilers.) They start a conversation where Norris feels pretty righteous in his anger and then suddenly Aarti flips the situation and he feels like he’s the bad guy. Not that he did nothing wrong, but I guess I didn’t feel like the story supported Aarty’s view of what happened.
I loved Norris’s relationships with Liam and Eric. They felt like real friendships, and added a lot of depth to Norris’s character, too, because we got to see things like loyalty and dedication.
On the whole, I enjoyed reading THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER quite a lot. The fast-paced dialogue and banter between characters combined with lots of heart and tough lessons about love and growing up made it a great read. Perfect for fans of THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN YOU IS ME by Lily Anderson.
I felt like Aarti and Madison had really similar voices, so that sometimes I couldn’t tell them apart. I also didn’t totally follow the sharp turn where Norris ends up apologizing to Aarti toward the end. (Sorry, trying not to include spoilers.) They start a conversation where Norris feels pretty righteous in his anger and then suddenly Aarti flips the situation and he feels like he’s the bad guy. Not that he did nothing wrong, but I guess I didn’t feel like the story supported Aarty’s view of what happened.
I loved Norris’s relationships with Liam and Eric. They felt like real friendships, and added a lot of depth to Norris’s character, too, because we got to see things like loyalty and dedication.
On the whole, I enjoyed reading THE FIELD GUIDE TO THE NORTH AMERICAN TEENAGER quite a lot. The fast-paced dialogue and banter between characters combined with lots of heart and tough lessons about love and growing up made it a great read. Perfect for fans of THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN YOU IS ME by Lily Anderson.