As a highschool kid, you face uncharted waters of social hierarchy and hormone driven reactions. On top of all that chaos you can sprinkle a bit home issues and millennial parenting and find an amazing story about an average kid moved to a school for the gifted and struggling to find his place.
The answer to the age old question of is it okay to be average can be found inside the covers of this masterpiece. I literally wish 15yr old me had a copy of this book to help navigate the stormy waters of high school.
This book is AMAZING.
I laughed and cried and cringed my way through Sam’s first year at the school for the gifted and talented. I pictured a Jock in a Step Up movie, suddenly uncool and uncomfortable.
William Sutcliffe is a mastermind. Capturing teenage insecurities and our journey to self. This easy to read novel captures the “stuck between childhood and adulthood” phase so accurately, this is definitely a book to add to a school curriculum. Addressing issues like bullying, fitting in and mom blogs.
This is a great book if you have a teenager at home in need of a little understanding or if you are looking for a little insight into your teenager’s world.
Synopsis
Laugh-out-loud funny and instantly recognisable – not since The Inbetweeners has a coming of age story been so irreverent and relatable.
Fifteen-year-old Sam isn’t special. He’s not a famous vlogger, he’s never gone viral, and he doesn’t want to be the Next Big Thing. What he likes most is chatting to his friends and having a bit of a kick about.
None of which was a problem until Dad got rich and Mum made the whole family move to London. Now Sam is being made to go to the North London Academy for the Gifted and Talented, where every student is too busy planning Hollywood domination or starting alt-metal psychedelica crossover bands or making clothes out of bathmats to give someone as normal as him the time of day. Can Sam navigate his way through the weirdness and find a way to be himself?
A brilliant modern satire about fitting in, falling out and staying true to your own averageness.
Reading Caffeinated 