Going Geek

Gr 8 Up—A coming-of-age story set against the socially cutthroat backdrop of a preppy East Coast boarding school. Readers do not need to be familiar with boarding schools, or even private school life, to relate to the intense social pressure that Huang's main character, Skylar, faces. Skylar's plans for an epic senior year (perfect boyfriend, cool friends, and high-status accommodations) are turned upside down when her movie-making mother is unable to produce a sequel to her blockbuster, which defined a generation of teenagers. Not only does this failure mean that Skylar must sacrifice her pampered way of life but it also shakes the fragile identity that she has created around the movie's success. The teen tries to hide her struggle, but her friends abandon her once her deception is revealed. Skylar must make a new life for herself with the social castoffs and misfits that she had always overlooked. In the protagonist, the author crafts a character who learns to trust her own abilities and judgment, breaking her proclivity to find her identity in the success of others. The straightforward and fast-paced writing style is unencumbered by excessive description but can come off a little shallow at times. This is a good pick for struggling or reluctant readers, especially those who gravitate to realistic fiction with a quickly moving plot.