High School

April 1, 2001
Juliana Farrell and Colleen Rush's High School: The Real Deal from GPAs to Graduation follows the rhythms of the academic year beginning with "The Top Five Myths About High School" and "Dos and Don'ts for your first day (and beyond)" right through to advice on college applications. For younger students, Middle School: The Real Deal from Cafeteria Food to Combination Locks by Juliana Farrell and Beth Mayall focuses on more practical tips for the first day of school (such as knowing when the day starts and what the bus route is) and the all-important "Who do I sit with at lunch?," suggesting that students scope out possible cafeteria partners during classes. The books' hip graphics will appeal to the computer-savvy set.

June 1, 2001
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Reviewed with \plain\f3\fs24" Juliana Farrell's Middle School.\plain\f3\fs24

Written in the style of a breezy magazine piece, this title offers mostly commonsense advice about the academic, extracurricular, and social changes faced by students entering high school. The book is helpful in covering increasingly difficult academic subjects and how to cope with different teachers' styles. The sections on college searches and social life are disappointingly brief. It's at its best giving overviews of standardized tests and hints for time management and choosing extracurricular activities. Formatted in choppy, occasionally hard-to-read text boxes, these aren't necessary purchases, but the sporadic helpful tips make for decent browsing material. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)