Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons (March 1st, 2012)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 288 pages
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny.
Things start out great — her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it.
Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…
Review:
This book really brought me back to high school. No, I didn't grow up in NYC and I was not even as cool as Kelsey, but I felt her pain as so many of her freshman year plans are dashed. Right before freshman year begins, Kelsey and her friends get together to make a few plans. Kelsey wants to start her high school journey on the right foot by being more outgoing and going for what she wants.First, Kelsey is hilarious. I highly enjoyed her internal commentary on her life. She was so enjoyable and I felt bad for the crazy stuff she had to go through. Kelsey is smart, pretty, and had a terrific group of friends, but her quirky nature sometimes gets her into embarrassing situations.
I really enjoyed the way Meredith Zeitlin captures the good, the bad, and the ugly of the high school experience. I think that pretty much every teenage girl can relate to some of the things Kelsey went through.
Kelsey's friends, JoJo, Em, and Cass were fabulous as well. They were all so different and they each brought something unique to the story. Although Kelsey deals with a few issues involving each girl, her friends always try to be there for her.
Something else unique about this book was the cute flirtations between Kelsey and a"mystery guy" she meets. It was a very nice touch and I couldn't help but get all giddy when he was mentioned. It really brought me back to when you can't help but get all flustered every time you see your crush walk down the hall in school.
This book isn't all fun and games. There are some more serious topics mentioned and they cover some very relevant topics for many young teenagers.
Meredith Zeitlin did an outstanding job taking many readers back to the glory days of high school. Kelsey was the perfect character for this story and I only wish I would have been as brilliantly quirky as she was when I was a teen.
Recommended: Contemporary fans looking for something funny!
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