Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Ratings10
Average rating3.9
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.