The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life

Mary and her friends compete fiercely to win their senior class scavenger hunt, driving through town collecting items and winning points. Mary's group also experiences the excitement of attending college in the fall and the dilemmas of dating. Ali Ahn presents Mary and the other students as three-dimensional characters who change in unexpected ways as the story evolves. Ahn's realistic voices invest listeners in Mary's success and in the dramas that plague the friends. Some of the hunt's clues are difficult to visualize as they are narrated, but the story's dialogue is clear. Ahn does not overplay the teenaged angst and succeeds in building the tension as time runs out for Mary's group. This audiobook is the perfect choice for any teenager facing unexpected challenges. C.A. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

May 28, 2012
A week before graduation, seniors at Oyster Point High compete in an unauthorized scavenger hunt with the prize being custodianship of a garden yeti that they keep for a year. Mary May Gilhooley is intent on breaking out of her good-girl shackles to win, but she has to contend with friction among her teammates, self-dubbed “the Also-Rans”: Harvard-bound Patrick, who is head over heels in (unrequited) love with Mary; mysteriously sullen best friend Winter; and barely closeted Dez, who has been picked on for years by a rival team. The objects in the hunt include many straightforward items (one “al dente” strand of spaghetti, a bar of hotel soap) and others that must be puzzled out (“Shave Bob’s balls” “Shuck a Mary on the half shell”). It’s a terrific premise, and Altebrando (Dreamland Social Club) successfully sustains a sense of tension and excitement throughout. In the final pages, Mary swings a bit unbelievably between acquiescent daughter and win-at-all-costs team leader, but that doesn’t diminish the book’s smart combination of end-of-high-school poignancy and fun. Ages 14–up. Agent: David Dunton, Harvey Klinger Agency.

December 1, 2012

Gr 10 Up-At the end of every school year at Oyster Point High, some seniors participate in The Hunt, an unsanctioned scavenger hunt where teams obtain objects, solve clues, and engage in optional activities such as skinny dipping and petty theft. Mary Gilhooley and her teammates are the self-professed good kids, students who earn high grades, scholarships, and have decent family relationships. In fact, participating in The Hunt is the first time Mary has gone against parental directives. Her motivation stems from her desire to best the team headed by class bully, Jake Barbone, a star football player who has regularly targeted Mary and her friends. Tara Altebrando's story (Dutton, 2012) is often slow-paced, especially scenes that include reading through several scavenger hunt lists item-by-item. Mary's musings and her friends' dialogue provide information about several unrequited crushes and concerns about the future. The pace accelerates somewhat during the second half of the hunt, as a teammate is injured, several betrayals come to light, and pressure to win builds. Mary and her friends are likeable, nice kids and many students will relate to their place in the high school hierarchy. Ali Ahn does a good job of differentiating the characters, although the nasal, childlike voice of Mary's best friend, Patrick, is somewhat unusual. A realistic, enjoyable listen.-Rebecca James, Currey Ingram Academy, Brentwood, TN

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.