Tradition

Starred review from February 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Traditions at Fullbrook Academy: seniors escort freshmen to the Winter Ball; hockey players stack a puck in their window for each sexual conquest; and rich kids rule. Jules Devereaux is in her final year at Fullbrook and she is done with ex-boyfriends, friends, and the insidious privilege of her exclusive boarding school. James Baxter is on a hockey scholarship, a "do-over" after a disaster, trying to do the next right thing, attempting to keep a low profile because of his past. The main characters' inner lives are complex. Readers see James resisting the temptation of the pro-sports culture in the institution by refusing to take part in disturbing traditions. They also see Jules, steadfast in getting through to college, high performing one moment and confused the next about a nonconsensual sexual encounter. Boarding school is portrayed as a bastion of debauchery where no one is safe, but parallel characters form a diversified background to the story's major players and contribute to an uplifting apex. Kiely's treatment of sex, love, and friendship is thoughtful and relatable in spite of the backdrop, and the story ultimately delivers an enlightening message on consent. VERDICT A story that belongs in every library.-Deidre Winterhalter, Oak Park Public Library, IL

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2018
A prestigious prep school enforces toxic masculinity.James Baxter is a scholarship kid intent on keeping his head down and not rocking the boat at highly acclaimed Fullbrook Academy. Meanwhile, Jules Devereux doesn't mind ruffling feathers if it means changing a few minds. Together, the high school seniors unearth a vile, sexist ritual and the accompanying rot that has spread throughout Fullbrook's culture. As Jules discovers her agency, James learns the first rule of being an ally: actively listening. The author's plotting is loose, resulting in a novel that winds here and there, eschewing forward thrust in favor of a true exploration of the social dynamics at play. The novel avoids sermonizing, embedding themes in character arcs so well that every feminist argument emerges as a natural part of the story. Readers will find many aspects of the real world reflected in Fullbrook's campus, beginning with institutions that have turned a blind eye to questionable and sordid practices because that's the way things have always been done. As more organizations are subjected to scrutiny, this novel is a timely road map for those looking to find their places in this rapidly changing world. All major characters are white.A thoughtfully crafted argument for feminism and allyship. (Fiction. 12-16)

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March 12, 2018
Kiely’s (American Boys) newest alternates perspectives between jock Jamie “Bax” Baxter, a new student at Fullbrook Academy who is escaping tragedy and determined to start over, and feminist activist Jules, who is fed up with Fullbrook’s social politics and its traditions based on hierarchy and privilege. The novel focuses on a nonconsensual encounter between Jules and her ex, Ethan, after both have been drinking at a party. Jules is left wondering whether what happened to her was sexual assault. Kiely explores the reactions to Jules’s claim from multiple angles; everyone has a different opinion about what happened. Gillian, who is Ethan’s current girlfriend and Jules’s ex-best friend, witnessed the incident and believes that Jules lured Ethan into cheating. Other people also blame Jules and label her a slut, seeing Ethan and Gillian as victims, and there are further reprisals after Jules comes forward. In his portrayal of Jamie, Kiely writes against jock stereotypes, presenting him as sensitive, understanding, and courageous—a good guy for all women (and men) to have in their corner. A novel to discuss, this takes up timely issues about privilege, problematic school “traditions,” and how institutions can in some cases protect their athletes and discourage women from reporting assault. Ages 14–up. Agency: Rob Weisbach Creative Management.

February 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 Meet two teens who become friends at a misogynistic, patriarchal private school, even as they are both drowning in secrets. Jamie Baxter, a football-player-turned-hockey-player, needs to keep it together for one last year or else miss his last shot at a scholarship. Meanwhile, Jules Devereux is trying to be a bold feminist in a school where girls are told to not make a scene. Their secrets spill out when a teen party goes horribly wrong, and Jamie has to decide if he will support Jules in her time of need, thereby breaking a long-standing tradition of silence. Kiely bravely explores rape culture and how it intersects with class and privilege, along the way making his characters speak to those in privileged positions in a language they cannot ignore. Kiely, coauthor with Jason Reynolds of All American Boys (2015), takes on an important, sensitive topic that should help connect readers to burgeoning social-justice movements; readers will find themselves rooting for the world not as it is, but as it might yet be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)