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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager eBook Ben Philippe

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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager eBook Ben Philippe

As parents and grandparents, we have a choice. We can look the other way as our teens struggle their way through the pitfalls of middle and high school, or we can read books like this one that keep us up on the way teens talk, the way they think, the way they treat each other, how they behave in school, how they feel, the words they use, the kinds of scrapes they get into. I found myself comparing it to my own high school experience. Actions and words and expectations were a little different; the angst and alienation remained the same.

As Norris struggles with his total lack of control over his own situation, sympathetic to his newly divorced, newly employed mother, but anguished at leaving his buddies and his comfort zone in Canada, he is not an ideal candidate for a happy ending. He has a rocky beginning, alienating two major groups of high viz students in his new school, and making himself increasingly miserable as he compares his current life of misery to his former one which glows in hindsight.

It cut me to the core. I mothered a teen who moved, and often. it was OK until middle school, and then hormones, an increased need for autonomy and normal parent/teen conflicts began, and we were told he was "at risk" for dropping out of school. We pulled together, and my major fear was never dropping out, but teen suicide. Statistics for teen age males in the US are grim; moving and losing friends makes you even more vulnerable to that dark despair than the average despairing teen.

Norris comes across a good variety of other teens with problems, in fact, what I loved about this book is that even the glossiest teens have their secret problems, and it is finding community and strength in their friendships that pulls them through, that gives them the boost that helps them survive.


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The Field Guide to the North American Teenager eBook Ben Philippe Reviews

*****3.5 Stars*****

Norris is a Black French Canadian who's moving to Austin, Texas. With that move, he brings a barrel of preconceived notions about not only Texas, but of the American Teenager. However, he's forced to not only check those notions, but also himself, as he discovers sometimes it's best not to judge a book by its cover.

The opening chapter is hilarious! If you're one who enjoys an unfiltered, unapologetic, voice that's full of sarcasm and wit, then you're sure to love Norris. However from Maddie (the cheerleader with a heart of gold) to Liam (the boy with an uncharacteristic love for finding the best in everyone), this story isn't short on delightful characters.

After the first chapter, things hit a lull and the story stops and starts in places. However, the story begins to take shape at around the halfway point; from there things stay on a determined path and it's a page-turning race to the end.

That "end", however, was a disappointment.

I understand what Philippe was aiming for but I wanted better for this bunch and didn't care for the direction he chose.

Overall, this was a good story; the ending simply didn't work for me and that, more than anything else, influenced my overall rating.

*Thank you to Edelweiss, Balzer+Bray, and Harper Teen for this advanced eGalley
After about three chapters I was ready to give this book a miss. Our hero, Norris, a black French Canadian teenager transported from Montreal to Austin, Texas by his divorced mom, starts out as a whiny, self-absorbed, snotty bundle of bad attitude and lame gripes, who isn't nearly as clever or funny as he thinks he is. You think to yourself - O.K. maybe he'll grow up by the end, but do I want to ride this train all the way to the end of the line?

Well, the book is saved in an unexpected fashion. Every single supporting character we meet once Norris gets to his high school is funnier, smarter, wiser, more interesting, and more clued in than is Norris. In the vein of "it takes a village to raise a child", in this book it takes every other character to get Norris to grow up. We have two potential crush girls, (who develop into a love triangle), and who are way smarter and more mature than Norris, and are masters of the slow needle and deadpan cut. (They also start out more complex and interesting than Norris.) After that, in no particular order, we have Norris's mom, a sort-of creepy laid back guy who turns out to become Norris's best friend, the friend Norris left behind in Canada, at least three cheerleaders with superb comic timing, and a variety of cameos by characters like Norris's boss at his part-time job. The list goes on, but you get the idea. With this sort of support, the reader can become invested in Norris's coming of age without wanting or needing to smack him, (the other characters do that for us).

And the book is drop dead funny - both in terms of clever dialogue and by reason of loads of insightful, edgy and sometimes cutting throwaway lines and deadpan observations that come from every direction. There are dozens of funny and brightly conceived brief set pieces that add energy and variety to the tale and that keep Norris off balance enough that he can't ever get a really sustained rant going. There is also an actual plot involving Norris's misadventures with the two crushes, and of course a running arc about whether at the end of the school year Norris will elect to go back to his dad in Canada. That was fine, but not the main appeal of the book, at least to me.

So, this turned out to be a Field Guide to Norris Kaplan, as seen by those around him, and that was a field guide worth reading. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
Took a minute to get into and was rather predictable, but was nice to see a YA from a boys point of view. I feel like most contemporary novels are from the girls perspective.
The best part about it is the genuine feel of personal experience woven into the story. It was fine, but fairly forgettable. A one-time read - and I feel like I needn't have read it. Needless profanity which feels like a shortcut. I am always on the lookout for fresh contemporary fiction for young adults, but I will not be recommending it to my ESL students.
It was great to get into the head of a completely self absorbed smart ass teenager. Quick and enjoyable read. I'm trying to get my teenage son to read it so we can talk about it. (Unfortunately, it is not as compelling to him as the 2 inch screen on his smart phone....)
As parents and grandparents, we have a choice. We can look the other way as our teens struggle their way through the pitfalls of middle and high school, or we can read books like this one that keep us up on the way teens talk, the way they think, the way they treat each other, how they behave in school, how they feel, the words they use, the kinds of scrapes they get into. I found myself comparing it to my own high school experience. Actions and words and expectations were a little different; the angst and alienation remained the same.

As Norris struggles with his total lack of control over his own situation, sympathetic to his newly divorced, newly employed mother, but anguished at leaving his buddies and his comfort zone in Canada, he is not an ideal candidate for a happy ending. He has a rocky beginning, alienating two major groups of high viz students in his new school, and making himself increasingly miserable as he compares his current life of misery to his former one which glows in hindsight.

It cut me to the core. I mothered a teen who moved, and often. it was OK until middle school, and then hormones, an increased need for autonomy and normal parent/teen conflicts began, and we were told he was "at risk" for dropping out of school. We pulled together, and my major fear was never dropping out, but teen suicide. Statistics for teen age males in the US are grim; moving and losing friends makes you even more vulnerable to that dark despair than the average despairing teen.

Norris comes across a good variety of other teens with problems, in fact, what I loved about this book is that even the glossiest teens have their secret problems, and it is finding community and strength in their friendships that pulls them through, that gives them the boost that helps them survive.