The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

De: Ben Philippe

Narrado por: James Fouhey

William C. Morris YA Debut Award Winner!

A hilarious contemporary realistic YA debut novel about a rather cynical Black French Canadian teen who moves to Austin, Texas, and experiences the clichés and joys 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.

©2019 Ben Philippe and Alloy Entertainment (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Coming of age the hard way…

Not a typical YA COA story. Well written with rich and very real characters. Narrator is excellent. Look forward to more from Ben Philippe.

whimsicle humor matched with teenage sarcasm for a whole lot of fun

loved the raw emotions of a teenager dealing with divorce and moving to another country.

Laugh out loud funny.

Finished this book in a day and a half because I couldn’t stop. Deals with serious issues teenagers and specifically black teenaged boys deal with everyday while never losing its biting humor.

Loved every second.

Heartwarming...but profuse profanity.

Great story, complex protagonist and delightful counterparts... truly and very good story. Just WAYY too many F-Bombs!

Wow. I did not expect this book to be amazing!

Brutally honest, funny and brilliant. One of the strongest and funniest first person narration voices I've ever read.
This book does not feature major revelations or life-altering insights, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining story of growth and growing pains with occasional undertones of the more serious realities of immigration, race and self-discovery.

A delightful surprise - intelligent, nuanced and unexpectedly heartfelt despite the scathing sarcasm and razor sharp humor.