Seven Clues to Winning You

When high school junior Blythe and her family relocate to the school district where her father is vying for a superintendent position, she is far from thrilled. Blythe must now attend Ash Grove, where her father is principal and where instead of being surrounded by scholars whose goals and wardrobes are as well-planned as her own, she is engulfed by unfriendly strangers in a building that smells of “academic mediocrity.” (“I pinned my shoulders back and strode like Moses parting the Red Sea. Only, this was a sea of synthetic fibers and cheap hair extensions.”) In this hilarious account of a girl’s reluctant adjustment to new circumstances—and her romance with a Shakespeare-quoting school journalist—Walker (A Match Made in High School) focuses on Blythe’s regrets and changing attitude as she alienates the student body, then gradually redeems herself by resurrecting a banned school tradition. The vibrant, first-person narrative captures the humor and heartache of Blythe’s predicaments and her humbling realization that it’s more fun to be part of the crowd than looking down on it. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown. (Apr.)