A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

Book Jacket

Congratulations!  Your school has invited you to participate in a revolutionary misguided course called Trying the Knot!

When a mandatory course forces Fiona to "try the knot" with super-jock Todd Harding, she's convinced life couldn't get any worse.  Until her crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd's obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend).  But that's nothing compared to her best friend's fate--a year with the very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.

A series of hilarious pranks leaves Fiona wondering: Is there something her "best friend" hasn't told her?  Could there by more to Johnny Mercer than an awesome music collection?  And most intriguing, could Todd Harding have a heart beneath his pretty-boy exterior?

Review

Huh.  This book just refused to play by conventional high school genre.  Which is great!  It's nice to see authors being true(r) to life, although I don't know how I can say that when the entire premise of the book is about an entire class of high school seniors "married" for the year, complete with jobs and budgets and shared activities.

The plot device is very fun, but it's the relationships that make this such an authentic book.  Jerks turn out to be nice, and nice people turn out to be jerks.  Friendships go through rough patches and have to be worked on.  Crushes are misunderstood.  People have to learn to understand themselves.

And really, this book made me actually like and appreciate cheerleaders.  I admit, I am one of those people who scoff at the sport (though I fully believe it's a sport!), but A Match Made in High School did a lot to break my stereotyping.

Fun, quick read!

Four out of five Eagle Prides.

Release Date:  February 2010

Reading Level:  Grade 8+

Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  YPL WAL