The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

“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. Be it 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. He even starts playing actual hockey with these Texans." (Goodreads.com)

In the beginning the main character Norris Kaplan, for me, was difficult to root for. He was too mouthy for his own good. Seeing the patterns that he went through, as a reader, was difficult. It left me groaning at times when he could have avoided major conflict. As the story goes on and you meet his new friends, you can see he gets a little more comfortable with his surroundings. It gets easier to sympathize with him. Even though I almost gave up on this book I’m glad I kept reading. It’s ending was satisfying, even if it made you go through a little of your own teenage angst. Maybe that was the authors goal.

I recommend this book if you like teen angst, quippy main characters, and coming of age stories where the boy doesn’t always get the girl.

Meghan McCabe

Children's and Youth Services Librarian

Available at the Langley Adams Library