Comment

Dec 23, 2014JCLChrisK rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Great voice. Ethan is an excellent character and his story is so entertaining due to the great narrative voice he uses to tell it. He very quickly becomes a real, relatable person, full of doubts, characterized by witty commentary, and a lot of fun to hang out with even during his hard times. He also, over the course of the story, resistantly learns about himself and others, growing just enough to be believable without changing so much that he comes across as just a happy fiction. Ethan's story is of his junior year of high school, when the arts academy he attends with his friends is invaded by a TV reality show that is being filmed there, with some of the school's students as its contestants. He and his friends decide to protest what the show is doing to the educational experience at the school, starting with a poem they disperse as an underground newspaper. Things escalate, friendships are tested, and all manner of trouble ensues. Despite the clear criticism the book aims at reality television, my biggest criticism of the book is that it's too kind to the form in its final assessment. 4.5 stars.