Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Ratings8
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings8
Average rating3.9
A hilarious contemporary realistic YA debut novel about a rather cynical Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the clichés and joys of the American high school experience—including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and When Dimple Met Rishi. 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.
Reviews with the most likes.
After 2 books, I will continue to listen to anything with the Ben Philippe/James Fouhey combo. SO funny & Fouhey captures Philippe's intent & humor so well. You can see direct lines from Norris to Henri, both likely with little bits of Ben imbued in them. I really enjoyed Norris's arc and the meta-commentary on what life is supposed to be like (the idealized movie versions sold to us) vs what's actually real. Madison & Liam & Aarti are great characters as well.
I would like to read more of this author because there's a lot of clever-funny going on here. But I am mystified by the decision to write this in 3rd person when the narrative screams 1st.
I really enjoyed this! Norris is a lot - kind of mean, kind of mouthy, kind of sad - but it resonated with me. As someone who moved a decent amount and who often came into a new school with the attitude of “everything where I used to live is so much better” I can relate.
This book is a guilty pleasure of mine. It's like a Hallmark movie, it's corny, at times feels super cheap and shallow, yet I also can't put it down. Maddie McElwees is a W character tho. All the homies rock with Madison McElwees.
