Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters
Author: Meredith Zeitlin
Publisher: Putnam
Publication Date: March 1, 2012
Pages: 288
Source: ARC from publisher
About the Book: 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…
My Thoughts: What a cute and quick read! I thought I’d just read a few chapters and a couple hours later I was done with the book. I couldn’t put it down! Meredith Zeitlin flawlessly meshes the high school mentality and drama with refreshing and witty humor.
Kelsey is very much a fourteen year old girl. She gets caught up in how everything affects her and views her parents, teachers, and school in ways that made me shake my head. Still, I found this to be very authentic and she grew on me. I loved her resilience. Time after time her plans came crashing down around her yet she managed to keep going. I love it when a character can laugh at the situations they find themselves in even as they seem awful! Plus, any book that contains the phrase, “the endless cycle of injustice that is my life” on the first page is sure to entertain!
While the humor is what really stuck with me (I was still smiling and giggling hours after finishing the book) there is a delightful depth to the story. Kelsey and her friends deal with issues that any teen could encounter. I appreciated the thoughtful ways Meredith Zeitlin addressed these. She wasn’t preachy at all but still brought up questions I hope my students would consider if they were in the same situation.
At the risk of doing all these books an injustice (I hesitate to compare books!) Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters reminded me of a female version of David Lubar’s Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie with girly humor to rival Louise Rennison’s Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. (Each of these books was awesome in its own way and I highly recommend reading them all!)
Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters is a must read for those going in to high school, those currently navigating the social waters of high school, and those (like me) who look back at their high school days and shake their head. Yes, this encompasses everyone!
Sophomore Year is Greek to Me - YA BibliophileYA Bibliophile
[…] had so much fun reading Meredith Zeitlin’s first YA book, Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters that I just couldn’t wait for this one! It’s a companion to the first book but follows […]