Into the Wild Nerd Yonder
Into the Wild Nerd Yonderby Julie Halpern
It’s Jessie’s sophomore year of high school. A self-professed “mathelete,” she isn’t sure where she belongs. Her two best friends have transformed themselves into punks and one of them is going after her longtime crush. Her beloved older brother will soon leave for college (and in the meantime has shaved his mohawk and started dating . . . the prom princess!) . . .Things are changing fast. Jessie needs new friends. And her quest is a hilarious tour through high-school clique-dom, with a surprising stop along the way—the Dungeons and Dragons crowd, who out-nerd everyone. Will hanging out with them make her a nerd, too? And could she really be crushing on a guy with too-short pants and too-white gym shoes? If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back? (goodreads.com)
I have no idea why I didn't realize this book was written by the same author as Get Well Soon. I guess I wasn't paying any attention. I am sure I noticed when I got the books in the summer. I picked it up only because I enjoyed Get Well Soon so much I thought I'd pick up another book from the pile that it came with. I went with this one because it was so bright pink. And get this - when you take of the dust jacket it is even MORE pink. It's like bright pink explosion! It was awesome and that alone made me adore the book before I had even cracked it open to read the first page. Way to win at book binding appearance, Feiwel and Friends!Here's the thing, I do not like contemporary fiction. I tend to avoid it as much as I can. There's the rare occasion I'll pick it up but generally I prefer my stories to have some sort of mystery, paranormal or serial killer-type element to them. Also acceptable, mental illness. ;) There is something so compelling about the way Julie Halpern writes, the voice she gives to her main characters that just draws me in.What I loved about this book was that it's a story about stereotypes but the characters themselves are the complete opposite of how they would be stereotyped. Jesse has a fantastic relationship with her older brother. That in itself is something I was not expecting. She's a sophomore all about science and math and he's a senior and in a punk band and yet they are really great friends and talk about everything. I LOVED that about this story. I loved that Jessie's entire family was awesome and fun to read about. I love that because her brother accepted her, so did his punk friends.I found it interesting that although Jessie would be considered a nerd in most books she wasn't in this one. In fact despite her math fancy and her homemade skirt-a-day trend she considered those in band or who played Dungeons & Dragons the nerds. This is something she struggles with throughout the book as she learns who her real friends are and what makes a real friend.I was so completely drawn to Jessie and this story that I didn't want to put it down. I am most certainly sold on anything that Julie Halpern writes and I am excited to see she has a new book coming out this spring. I can't wait!