Overview
Dante thinks high school is an earthly version of hell. She hates her new home in the suburbs, her best friend has moved away, her homeroom teacher mocks her and her mother is making her attend a social skills group for teenage girls. When a stranger shows up at school and hands Dante a flyer that reads: Woof, woof. You are not a dog. Why are you going to obedience school?, Dante thinks she's found a soul mate. Someone who understands. Someone else who wants to make real changes in the world. But there are all kinds of ways of bringing about change...and some are more dangerous than others.Synopsis
Sitting at my desk is torture. I wonder what circle of hell this is and what I did to deserve it. Mr. Lawson drones on and on. I have restless legs. My knee bounces up and down like crazy, like there's too much energy inside me and stray sparks are shooting off everywhere, twitching my muscles. I feel bored and restless and impatient. I want something to happen. Dante thinks high school is an earthly version of hell. She hates her new home in the suburbs, her best friend has moved away, her homeroom teacher mocks her and her mother is making her attend a social skills group for teenage girls. When a stranger shows up at school and hands Dante a flyer that reads: Woof, woof. You are not a dog. Why are you going to obedience school?, Dante thinks she's found a soul mate. Someone who understands. Someone else who wants to make real changes in the world. But there are all kinds of ways of bringing about change...and some are more dangerous than others. Robin Stevenson is the author of several novels for teens, including A Thousand Shades of Blue and Out of Order. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. More information about Robin and her books is available on her website at robinstevenson.com.
Children's Literature
Dante is a city girl at heart. She hates living in the "burbs" with their cookie cutter houses and precisely manicured lawns. And do not even get her started on her high school, which feels like the set of a Hollywood movie with everyone playing his or her role in the appropriate stereotypical clique. Last year her soul mate Beth made it tolerable but Beth has moved away and Dante must face her junior year alone. With one look at her class schedule she realizes that will be no easy task. Mr. Lawson, the English teacher who gave her so much grief last year, is teaching her eleventh grade English class, and worse yet, he is also her homeroom teacher. No doubt about it, junior year is going to be hell on earth. Then Dante meets Parker, a strange girl who hands her a flyer saying, "Woof, woof. You are not a dog. Why are you going to obedience school?" Like Dante, Parker does not fit into the typical suburban high school scene (in fact Parker is a high school dropout) and the two soon become fast friends. Along the way Dante is introduced to a whole new world, must make some tough decisions, and learns to accept herself for who she is, not what others want her to be. Dealing with issues of dangerous choices, nonconformity, and sexuality, this well written book is a sure contender to join the ranks of quality fiction on banned and challenged book lists across the country. Reviewer: Pat Trattles