The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Dry
Unoriginal

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

Ben Philippe2019
A hilarious contemporary realistic YA debut novel about a rather cynical Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the clichés and joys of the American high school experience—including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and When Dimple Met Rishi. Norris Kaplan is clever, cynical, and quite possibly too smart for his own good. A Black French Canadian, he knows from watching American sitcoms that those three things don’t bode well when you are moving to Austin, Texas. Plunked into a new high school and sweating a ridiculous amount from the oppressive Texas heat, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks, the Loners, and even the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Making a ton of friends has never been a priority for him, and this way he can at least amuse himself until it’s time to go back to Canada, where he belongs. Yet against all odds, those labels soon become actual people to Norris…like loner Liam, who makes it his mission to befriend Norris, or Madison the beta cheerleader, who is so nice that it has to be a trap. Not to mention Aarti the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, who might, in fact, be a real love interest in the making. But the night of the prom, Norris screws everything up royally. As he tries to pick up the pieces, he realizes it might be time to stop hiding behind his snarky opinions and start living his life—along with the people who have found their way into his heart.
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Reviews

Photo of renee badenoch
renee badenoch@restingbookface
3 stars
Nov 9, 2022

I thought this was a pretty enjoyable read. Norris felt familiar to me, and outsider who accidentally stays on the outside because of stereotypes they have about the "insiders." Like Norris I was a bit of a snobby and sometimes cynical teen who learned to soften up and let others defy my expectations. I also thought Norris was pretty funny and laughed out-loud when I read this. I'm not huge on YA slice-of-life stories, but I had fun reading this.

Photo of Camila
Camila @milalalareads
2 stars
Jun 21, 2022

odie este libro demasiado. son puros cliches y estereotipos de Disney Channel

Photo of Amanda Kordeliski
Amanda Kordeliski@akordeliski
4 stars
Mar 9, 2022

3.5

Photo of Tiffany Robinson
Tiffany Robinson@movietiffany
4 stars
Dec 14, 2021

This book was hilarious! I really enjoyed the narrator and I really liked that the ending wasn’t tied up in a nice package which made it feel more real.

Photo of Mie
Mie@mies_books
3 stars
Oct 18, 2021

All in all pretty good, loved the big plot twist at the end.

Photo of Chantale
Chantale@canadianbookaddict
4 stars
Sep 15, 2021

Yes I know I don't read and review many YA books but this one really sounded interesting so I decided to give it a chance and I am very glad I did because I did enjoy this book. This book is very well written and entertaining. I think if I would have been younger I would have given this book a higher rating because now I can't really relate to the characters other than the adults. I don't think this book would be one I would read again but I will be giving a copy of this book to my nephew who is a teenager because I know he will enjoy this book.

Photo of Abigail Marie
Abigail Marie@abigailmarie
3 stars
Feb 27, 2023
+2
Photo of Torrey
Torrey@torreysreads
3 stars
Mar 14, 2022
Photo of Jackie Cunningham
Jackie Cunningham@jackie_c
5 stars
Jul 4, 2024
Photo of Emily Burns
Emily Burns@emilymelissabee
4 stars
Jul 3, 2024
Photo of Megan Daigle
Megan Daigle@megand
5 stars
Feb 17, 2024
Photo of Marloes
Marloes@subtlebookish
4 stars
Dec 10, 2022
Photo of Courtney
Courtney @readitandweep
4 stars
Aug 26, 2022
Photo of Kelly Cotton
Kelly Cotton@smellyr0tten
3 stars
Aug 16, 2022
Photo of Wendy Stonegood
Wendy Stonegood@wendystonegood
3 stars
Aug 10, 2022
Photo of Jules
Jules@jules0406
3 stars
Jun 21, 2022
Photo of Ana Robbinson
Ana Robbinson@vivacioussurvivor
5 stars
Apr 5, 2022
Photo of Susan Forsythe
Susan Forsythe@bookmaven
3 stars
Mar 3, 2022
Photo of Cameron Jones
Cameron Jones@cammyrjones
4 stars
Feb 23, 2022
Photo of Yessenia Reza
Yessenia Reza@mxndized
4 stars
Feb 3, 2022
Photo of Rachel Korenblit
Rachel Korenblit @rachelkorenblit
4 stars
Jan 30, 2022
Photo of Katie Mitchell
Katie Mitchell@katiev
4 stars
Jan 9, 2022
Photo of Heather Eason
Heather Eason@heason
3 stars
Nov 20, 2021
Photo of Neva Davies
Neva Davies@booksofunknownorigin
5 stars
Nov 18, 2021

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