At the B&N Reads blog Brian Boone tagged fifty of the most essential high school stories. Two novels on the list:
Special Topics in Calamity Physics, by Marisha Pessl
Pessl’s debut is presented like a syllabus, each chapter title alluding to a classic work. The plot: deadpan genius Blue van Meer, the perennial new kid in town owing to her father’s peripatetic ways, has all the advanced knowledge and study skills necessary to succeed at a prestigious private school, but lacks the pro-level social skills necessary to launch herself socially. But when she catches the eye of a charismatic, beautiful teacher—one we learn, in the book’s earliest pages, will not survive—her life radically changes.
The Page 69 Test: Marisha Pessl's Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
Acceptance, by Susan Coll
High school isn’t all cliques, romantic drama, and finding one’s true identity—it’s also about the stress and anticipation of what comes next. Acceptance is an amusing look at those high school kids who are already overachieving and burning out before they’ve even left home. Focusing on three juniors and their college admissions counselor, the book follows their trudge through SAT prep courses, AP classes, AP exams, college essay writing…
The Page 69 Test: Susan Coll's Acceptance.
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another book on the list.
--Marshal Zeringue
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