Andie has just finished eighth grade and will be starting high school in the fall. The good news: Her super-popular valedictorian big sister, Clair...
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reviews
Feb 09, 2011
Katie
rated it: 
This book was a different kind of read, but a good one. Andie, a soon-to-be high school freshman receives a book from her new college freshman sister, explaining how to get through her first year at their private high school and describing the cliques, faculty members, and ins and outs of day to day life as a high school student. The field guide itself, written in the sister's ironic voice, is very well-done. Some of the references to older movies and shows resonated more with me, who attended
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Nov 02, 2007
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it: 
Just what the title says, a field guide to high school, from one sister to another. It's cute, with a very sketchy framing story that on the day Claire leaves for college, she leaves behind a guide to high school that she has written for Andie, her younger sister, starting as a freshman. You get a vague sense of what school was like for Claire. But there's hardly any story here - just advice and a description of all aspects of high school life. As enjoyable a read as it was, it felt like only h
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Apr 07, 2008
Holly
rated it: 
A fun, light, fast read. The body of it actually is what it sounds like, a guide to a posh private high school written like a wilderness guide to flora and fauna, with some narration by the main character and her best friend, who received the guide from her older sister (a recent high school graduate). Entertaining, with lots of cultural references à la the Princess Diaries, Gilmore Girls, etc. Some swearing, but I wasn't really offended.
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Jun 05, 2011
Karen
rated it:
Andie gets left behind on the morning that her perfect older sister leaves for Yale, and discovers that Claire has left her a gift -- a guide to the private high school that she has just left and that Andie will be entering as a freshman shortly. Claire used an old field guide as the base, and pasted in her own text around the pictures and illustrations. Her guide is full of wise advice and accurate descriptions of the social scene -- defining the various cliques in terms of animals and desc
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Nov 22, 2007
Megan
rated it:
Funny stuff. I accidentally deleted this off my "read" list and am now putting it back on.
Girl finds "field guide to high school" left for her by her older sister who is going off to college while girl herself is slated to enter high school.
References to "trustafarians" and "hiltons" hit home with me, made me laugh lots.
Girl finds "field guide to high school" left for her by her older sister who is going off to college while girl herself is slated to enter high school.
References to "trustafarians" and "hiltons" hit home with me, made me laugh lots.
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Dec 21, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Andie's nervous about starting high school. What if everyone compares her to her super-popular sister and finds her lacking?
Since Claire just graduated, she won't be there to help Andie, but neither will she be there to overshadow her. The day Claire leaves for college, she leaves behind a present for Andie: a field guide to high school.
Inside, she dishes on what not to do, the differences between the cliques, More...
Andie's nervous about starting high school. What if everyone compares her to her super-popular sister and finds her lacking?
Since Claire just graduated, she won't be there to help Andie, but neither will she be there to overshadow her. The day Claire leaves for college, she leaves behind a present for Andie: a field guide to high school.
Inside, she dishes on what not to do, the differences between the cliques, More...
Jun 27, 2009
Sara
rated it: 
This was incredibly disappointing. There's almost no story at all. It's just the so-called "guide" explaining the ins and outs of some fictional private school. There would be potential for a fun book if anything actually happened, say, the main character started high school and followed (or didn't) the advice in the guide. But instead, it's just a day or two of reading the guide, with occasional comments by the reader in-between sections of the guide. Lame.
Jul 19, 2009
Saralyn
rated it: 
This book was an easy read. It was funny to compare to my own experience of high school. (Not much the same at all.) But I kind of felt like the book was a bit pointless. Especially when it came to the end. I turned a page and there was nothing more and I kind of felt like, "Huh." Not a bad read, but nothing really to recommend, either.
May 11, 2009
Sandy
rated it:
A clever idea, but falls a little flat. The sister's field guide is humorous, but shallow. The book is only 2 years old, but a lot of the references feel old already (calling people Toms - those that have 100s of MySpace friends but none in real life...) A quick read and pretty harmless.
Mar 05, 2009
Heather
rated it:
This is a cute, quick read. Claire, Andie's big sister is heading off to college, but has left Andie a parting gift.,, A self-written "field guide" to high school. In this guide, Claire reveals all of the secrets of high school life and how to survive.
Feb 06, 2010
Brooke
rated it:
Cute and Sassy, not bad advice, given to a freshman going to a private high school. Note the list of books and movies about high school in the back of the book.
Aug 05, 2011
Kaylie
rated it:
It was good advice, but didn't really connect to me because I don't go to private school.
Jul 29, 2010
Beth
rated it:
Funny, not much of a story line, tells it like it is, but without nasty details.
Feb 24, 2009
Cara
rated it:
I was not overly impressed. I did chuckle a few times (hence the 2 stars).
Oct 18, 2008
Kaykay
rated it:
This book is pretty bad. I must say that, personally, I thought the writing was horrible! It's also just plain annoying. i mean i think that i could write it... also im kinda sick of books that talk about popularity being mean and bad (not to say that that isnt a good message... i mean it is: thats something middle school/highschool girls should keep in mind, definetly a good lesson to learn) but there are tons of books like that. anyway this was a really harsh review.. so sorry. hope u find it
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Oct 24, 2007
Eliza
rated it:
Very clever and compelling! As a teen services librarian, I sometimes think "oh no, not ANOTHER book dissecting high school social structures," but I picked this up because I liked the cover and basically never put it down (it's short and quick). I liked the interplay between what the entries in the guide and what actually happened (as gleaned from the younger sister's comments and reading between the lines).
Aug 12, 2008
Linda
rated it:
S'okay, and it's super short. Premise is good: Older (and perfect) sister goes off to college, leaving a book she wrote explaining all the ins and outs of high school for her 14-year-old sister. Full of stereotypes that the author does not successfully turn upside down. I would have liked better if we'd heard more from the younger sister. And Jennifer says she hates the cover, so there you have it ...
Apr 24, 2010
Alicia
rated it:
A quick and useless book that Claire writes to her sister Andie before she enters 9th grade. It's not without a little humor, but without a true voice, it stalls.
"Hey, Andie. Me again. The truth is, there is no field guide to high school. I made it all up. One of the many annoying things about high school is that everyone has to figure it out for themselves."
"Hey, Andie. Me again. The truth is, there is no field guide to high school. I made it all up. One of the many annoying things about high school is that everyone has to figure it out for themselves."
Nov 03, 2009
Jillian
rated it:
Cute, and very fast read. This quote took my back: "Four years in high school. Will you spend them cool with us? Or as a social loser outcast with her? You decide." Ugh. Glad those days are over.
I'm happy to report that I've read all the recommended YA reads at the back:)
I'm happy to report that I've read all the recommended YA reads at the back:)
Dec 06, 2007
Leisl
rated it:
It was okay. It's a good description of people and groups in high school, but it didn't really have a plot, in my opinion. I guess I was looking for a little more of a story. I really liked this book, but I wanted more, I suppose.
Jul 11, 2010
Heather
rated it:
This summer after graduating from high school, Claire writes a filed guide book about her experince of high school. She gives it to her little sister, Andie, to use as a reference. Andie is just starting high school.
Mar 01, 2008
Jessica
rated it:
This was an interesting "field guide" from an older sister to help the younger sister get ready for high school. It was an interesting idea, but not as interesting as I would have liked.
Jan 16, 2008
Karin
rated it:
kinda cute/funny, but also really slight in content. a super short book that is nothing but notes from an older sister to a younger sister on dealing with day-to-day life in high school. eh.
Feb 06, 2012
Feb 05, 2012
