School Tales

Myrick's debut novel follows several teenagers at two Virginia high schools as they find their paths.The book opens at Hilltop Academy, a private school populated by the children of faculty at two nearby colleges. Chelsea silently critiques school policies ("So what's inside my backpack is important, but not what's inside me?") and her clique-y classmates. She also connects with recent California transplant Sean, who, like her, is struggling to find his place. Sean organizes a nature walk in response to the suicide of a bullied student. Then he persuades his parents to let him transfer to the less-exclusive Stone Creek High School, where he joins Chelsea's friends Cora, a politically active organizer exploring her biracial heritage; Jake, who wants to follow his father into agriculture despite the challenges faced by small farmers; and the gregarious Daniel, whose nickname is "Mr. Mayor." Stone Creek's unconventional principal, Mr. Shepherd, answers to the name "Chief" and encourages student autonomy. The book's narration shifts among the various students as they deal with personal and academic challenges and make their ways toward graduation. Myrick is a thoughtful writer who gets deep into her characters' psyches. That said, the teenagers' self-centered, pseudo-intellectual voices are so accurately portrayed as to be grating at times (as when Sean describes Hilltop Academy to Daniel's mother: "we were the fish, kept apart from the real world of natural waters, glubbing around in circles, until we almost believed it was normal"). However, the author seems determined to give full weight to her young characters' arguments, no matter how petty they might appear to adults. This is demonstrated by how she uses the character of Chief, who repeatedly learns from the kids under his charge.A well-written, if occasionally ponderous, exploration of modern high school life.

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August 1, 2018
Sean, a surf-minded California transplant attending Virginia's rigidly traditional Hilltop Academy, never thought he'd see the day when his ideas would be taken seriously. Hilltop focuses on the type of success measured by grades and test scores. When a fellow student tragically commits suicide, Sean decides to transfer to the other local high school, Stone Creek. His new school is unlike any academic institution he's ever attended, and he's thrilled to see students take charge of their own curriculum and design projects based on their interests. As Sean adjusts to an entirely new educational system, he's surprised to learn even more about himself and his peers. Sean and four other teenagers narrate alternating chapters, voicing their particular concerns and anxieties about their school, homes, and social lives. In her first novel, education scholar Myrick imbues each teenager with distinctive quirks, using clear prose to keep readers focused on her protagonists' challenges. Less plot-driven and more of a character study, this illuminating, introspective novel is a good choice for fans of Chris Cleave and Jennifer Niven.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)