The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

by Ben Philippe

William C. Morris YA Debut Award Winner!

A hilarious YA contemporary realistic novel about a witty Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the joys, clichés, and awkward humiliations of the American high school experience—including falling in love. Perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon, When Dimple Met Rishi, and John Green. 

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.

• ISBN10: 0062824112
• ISBN13: 9780062824110
• Publish Date: 7 March 2019 (first published 8 January 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 22 August 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: Balzer and Bray
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

What happens when you take a hockey loving, black, French-Canadian boy and transplant him in Texas? You get a hilarious tale filled with some teen angst, hijinks, and even some personal growth.

• Pro: This book was hilarious! I love snark and sarcasm, and Norris spoke both fluently. I laughed so much and so often, and that is always a welcomed perk.

• Pro: The characters Philippe created to be part of Norris' circle was interesting and a lot more complex than Norris expected them to be. I really enjoyed getting to know them beyond their labels.

• Pro: And speaking of labels, Norris committed the ultimate crime by immediately placing every person he met in a "group", but what I enjoyed, was seeing him realize that each person was an individual, who went beyond the label, and it was an important turning point, when he started seeing them as more than a single term.

• Pro: The relationship between Norris and his mom was kind of special. They acted as team, yet his mother never played the role of friend, and always kept the appropriate parent-child balance in place.

• Con: Not going to lie, the ending was frustrating! Yes, it was realistic, but I would have liked a jump ahead, or maybe we will get a Field Guide Volume 2, because I really would like to see how the rest of high school went for Norris.

• Pro: I have been seeing a lot of people call Norris unlikable, but I liked him. He was a little bit jaded, angsty, and thought he knew it all, but I empathized with his situation. I did get to see glimpses of the Norris, who hid under all the cynicism, and he did experience growth by the end of the book, both positive things. I thought he was very real too. I worked in a high school for 12 years, and I definitely met a few Norrises over the course of my career.

• Pro: I adored the new friendships Norris made. Both Maddie and Liam stood out. They were delightful for very different reasons, but mostly because they offered something real to Norris and didn't allow him to get away with anything. A real friend keeps you in check.

Overall: A humorous look at high school through the lens of a newcomer featuring great banter, friendship, and hockey.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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