Keen on Being a U.S. Teen? (Paisley Hanover Acts Out - Cameron Tuttle)

Member Name: karenuk

Product:	Paisley Hanover Acts Out - Cameron Tuttle
Date:	26/04/09 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, interesting story, good moral message

Disadvantages: Americanisms may be unfamiliar for some British readers

Paisley Hanover is an American teenage girl, the star of the novel Paisley Hanover Acts Out by Cameron Tuttle. We follow Paisley from the first day of sophomore year (Year 11 in the UK) where she tries - but fails - to get into the Yearbook class, so ends up taking Drama instead. Separated from her friends who are all pretty well 'in' and popular, Paisley ends up mixing with the pupils in Drama, who are much more unorthodox.

At the start of the book, Paisley hangs round with her friends Jen, Amy and Carreyn. Her best friend Jen has recently started dating a guy called Bodie Jones, who is a junior (older than Jen) and a star school sportsman. As Paisley says, he's a "total A-lister." But Jen's behaviour is changing, as she begins to see less of her old friends and more of Bodie and his hangers-on.

The Drama class sees Paisley getting to know different people, the unpopular crowd - kids known as weirdoes or freaks, those who dress in retro clothes, the quiet and shy, the ones who are regularly teased or picked on. As Paisley witnesses this behaviour first-hand, she decides to do something about it - and her alter ego, Miss UnPleasant is born...

Despite being almost forty years old, I found this book really easy to get into and I enjoyed it. The intended age range is twelve and over, but I would read more of Cameron Tuttle's books myself. The characters are wonderfully written and Paisley herself is great, very believable.

It is also an interesting examination of school and the hierarchy of student life. Although never seeming too 'heavy', it is actually a fascinating study of how pupils are judged on their looks, clothes, sporting talents and social abilities. Hopefully if the teenagers who read this are bullied or teased, they will be able to get some strength from Paisley and her actions in this book.

The novel succeeds on every level. It's funny, witty, interesting, well-paced and a good fun story. Before I had even finished the book, my sixteen year old daughter began it and she loved it, reading over 230 pages in one day!

It is a good sized book at 344 pages, with Paisley's 'notebook' included afterwards. This is a fun idea and an extra attraction for teenage readers, as it includes pages of apparently handwritten notes, articles, lists, drawings and doodles.

Highly recommended - for adults and teenagers alike!


(A version of this appears on the Bookbag website under my name.)

Summary: A good fun teen novel for all