Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters

January 23, 2012
In voiceover artist Zeitlin’s debut novel, Brooklynite Kelsey Finkelstein—the latest in a long line of self-obsessed protagonists who can’t see past their own problems—hopes to “make a mark” in her freshman year of high school. But from the tacky red blazer her mother forces her wear to school to getting stuck playing goalie on the JV soccer team and landing the role of a fat, middle-aged butcher in the school production of Fiddler on the Roof, nothing is going according to plan. Meanwhile, one of Kelsey’s best friends turns traitor by hooking up with a boy Kelsey has “had the world’s biggest crush since approximately birth.” Kelsey’s travails are entertaining, but it’s hard not to feel like Zeitlin is playing her heroine for a buffoon (perhaps most egregiously when Kelsey decides not to listen to the song “Defying Gravity” before performing it for an audition). And while underage drinking is hardly taboo in YA novels, there’s a surprising amount of it, nearly all consequence-free, other than the chipped tooth Kelsey gets—just one more woe-is-me moment for our girl. Ages 12–up.

January 15, 2012
Another goofy, sweet teenage girl pratfalls through her first year of high school in this winsome, if predictable debut. Kelsey Finkelstein may live in New York City, but her life is far from that of Gossip Girl. Instead of high-stakes social politics and steamy hook-ups, Kelsey's life consists of evading the nosy clutches of her interfering mother while trying to maintain strong ties with her three besties: Em, JoJo and Cassidy. Determined to "[r]evamp myself for a new era. You know, like Lady Gaga," Kelsey boldly tries out for JV soccer and the high-school production of Fiddler on the Roof, with decidedly mixed and humorous results. Her friends are a reliable support system, until Kelsey discovers that Cassidy is making out with her crush object Jordan, which causes the group to splinter. Luckily a cute school-newspaper reporter is waiting in the wings to heal Kelsey's broken heart. While Zeitlin breaks no new ground here, Kelsey is a funny, likable heroine who experiences realistic school and relationship problems that any teenage girl will be able to relate to. The dialogue-heavy novel moves breezily from one disaster to the next, but because of its similarity to so many other chick-lit titles, is unlikely to linger longer in readers' minds than the latest pop song before being replaced by something just as pleasantly appealing. An undemanding and enjoyable diversion. (Fiction. 12-16)

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March 1, 2012

Gr 8-10-Just before entering the ninth grade in New York City, Kelsey Finkelstein, 14, tells her friends Em, Cass, and JoJo that she wants to make their freshman year the best one yet. However, on her road to "defying expectations," she encounters some setbacks. Part of her plan is to attract the eye of a cute classmate Jordan, but, to Kelsey's dismay, Cass hooks up with him instead. She earns a spot on the soccer team, yet the surly captain assigns her the hazardous role of goalie. Then her photo is published in the school newspaper with a full shot of her broken front tooth. When she tries out for the school's production of Fiddler on the Roof, true to form, she lands the role of a fat male butcher with a pasted-on beard. As the humorous mishaps mount in this laugh-out-loud coming-of-age novel, Kelsey gains insight and perspective through introspection and dialogue with friends. The values of good friendships are further evidenced in the honesty Kelsey and Cass show when they reconcile and how the group of friends supports JoJo when she admits her attraction to another girl. Alcohol and marijuana appear in the novel, but are not glamorized, as the users either get nauseated or arrested. In a sweet reversal, Kelsey finds that one of her many disasters has introduced her to a new guy who is, indeed, worth the wait.-Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades 8-10 Most freshmen begin high school with great expectations, and Kelsey Finkelstein is no exception. This is the year she will make her mark: become the starting left wing on the soccer team, get asked to prom, and go out with the crush-worthy Jordan Rothman. Unfortunately, her plans don't work out the way she hoped, but her freshman year is still undeniably memorable. Zeitlin offers a story that encompasses all the horrors and thrills of starting high school. Accurately portraying the ups and downs of freshman year, this reveals how Kelsey handles her all-too-typical situations better than most. A hilarious look at freshman year, this story serves to prep the incoming for the best and the worst high school has to offer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
Disasters of Kelsey's freshman year include a fight with a friend over a boy, an unwanted stint as the JV soccer goalie, unflattering photos in the school paper, and her role as an overweight male butcher in Fiddler on the Roof. All unfortunate, to be sure, but Kelsey's sarcastic narration will keep readers in stitches as they're sympathizing with her humiliations.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)