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236th out of 6,879 books
—
6,871 voters
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder
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 a...more
Things a...more
Hardcover, 245 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Feiwel & Friends
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Apr 16, 2011
Tatiana
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
nerds worldwide
Recommended to Tatiana by:
Minli
I feel like Into the Wild Nerd Yonder is a book for me, about me, and at some moments could have been written by me.
The fact that I am here, on Goodreads, and writing a book review is a proof enough that I am an unapologetic nerd. And who isn't here, right? This is why this novel about embracing one's nerdiness had such an appeal to me.
It raises an interesting question - why is it so shameful to acknowledge one's nerdiness? And I will take it a bit further - when did "nerdy" behavior become so...more
The fact that I am here, on Goodreads, and writing a book review is a proof enough that I am an unapologetic nerd. And who isn't here, right? This is why this novel about embracing one's nerdiness had such an appeal to me.
It raises an interesting question - why is it so shameful to acknowledge one's nerdiness? And I will take it a bit further - when did "nerdy" behavior become so...more
26 likes · like · see review
view all 17 comments
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
Jessie doesn't know where she belongs in high school anymore. Her best friends have turned into overnight punks. Her punk rock brother is dating the prom princess. In a quest to find new friends, Jessie stumbles upon the Dungeons and Dragons crowd. But if she ventures into the wild nerd yonder, can she ever come back?
I love Julie Halpern - she writes with so much humor and heart that it makes for a great read. As a fellow nerd,...more
Jessie doesn't know where she belongs in high school anymore. Her best friends have turned into overnight punks. Her punk rock brother is dating the prom princess. In a quest to find new friends, Jessie stumbles upon the Dungeons and Dragons crowd. But if she ventures into the wild nerd yonder, can she ever come back?
I love Julie Halpern - she writes with so much humor and heart that it makes for a great read. As a fellow nerd,...more
Mar 24, 2010
Heather
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who love coming-of-age-romantic-comedies
I can't help it, I'm a sucker for cute-funny-girlie-romantic books. Love them...
This book had the right amount of laugh out loud moments+teen-drama+lovable-characters which all = one hell of a fun read...
I thought the writing was cleaver, and it had the perfect quantity of sarcastic dialogue I always enjoy. Nothing was over done or over the top, which was a major plus for me.
I didn't think the characters were too stereotypical or too exaggerated. I really loved the main protagonist Jessie and...more
This book had the right amount of laugh out loud moments+teen-drama+lovable-characters which all = one hell of a fun read...
I thought the writing was cleaver, and it had the perfect quantity of sarcastic dialogue I always enjoy. Nothing was over done or over the top, which was a major plus for me.
I didn't think the characters were too stereotypical or too exaggerated. I really loved the main protagonist Jessie and...more
My two favorite things about this book are as follows:
1. Allusions to great YA books. When I was a teenager, I tried to read, listen to, and learn about everything I ever saw referenced in my favorite books. To see references to Life As We Knew It, Elsewhere, and Harry Potter thrilled me not just because two of the three are favorites of mine, but also because I think talking about contemporary teen fiction made Jessie that much more real.
2. This book spoke to my own high school self. Like Jes...more
1. Allusions to great YA books. When I was a teenager, I tried to read, listen to, and learn about everything I ever saw referenced in my favorite books. To see references to Life As We Knew It, Elsewhere, and Harry Potter thrilled me not just because two of the three are favorites of mine, but also because I think talking about contemporary teen fiction made Jessie that much more real.
2. This book spoke to my own high school self. Like Jes...more
This coming-of-age, finding oneself book was soo good. It's about not worrying about what others think, about not being afraid to be yourself, friendships and general dorkiness. It was such blast.
slight spoilers ahead:
Jesse is your run-of-the-mill, typical teenage girl. Her brother is the cool-punky guy who everyone adores. He is in a band with Van, who is 'that guy'. You know, the one all the girls swoon over. Jesse is not an exception. She's been crushing over him for as long as she can rememb...more
slight spoilers ahead:
Jesse is your run-of-the-mill, typical teenage girl. Her brother is the cool-punky guy who everyone adores. He is in a band with Van, who is 'that guy'. You know, the one all the girls swoon over. Jesse is not an exception. She's been crushing over him for as long as she can rememb...more
3 likes · like · see review
Funny! Two things I found hilarious: her family’s Krispy Kreme anecdote. Ick. And the trepidation she felt in her probable entry into nerd-dom. That she makes a pro’s and con’s list as to said debut should have been a major clue as to said entry. And then there's the fact that she sews her own skirts, has "A+" days when she gets tons of those, and uses flash cards for pre-calc class. Without D&D, she's basically in anyway. The differences between dork and nerd still eludes me, but either way...more
2 likes · like · see review
This will have to be chalked up to a case of, "It's not you, it's me." Into the Wild Nerd Yonder is a very cute book, with a very realistic sounding narrator. But the problem, my problem that is, is that Jessie simply wasn't relatable. This is a girl who, upon entering her sophomore year of high school is feeling left out and left behind by her whorish (and not very nice) best friends. While Jessie's friends are discovering what sort of young adults they want to be, discovering boys, music and d...more
Olivia Ambrose ~ Contemporary Realistic Fiction
This is a story of a girl in high school who loses her “clique” and has to rediscover who she is. Surprising herself when she ends up with the nerds who play Dungeons and Dragons, Jessie must learn to accept her new identity. I found this to be a very interesting book that deals with teenagers’ insecurities about themselves very well as they grow and develop and try to discover who they are. Jessie is a lovable character that you find yourself cheer...more
This is a story of a girl in high school who loses her “clique” and has to rediscover who she is. Surprising herself when she ends up with the nerds who play Dungeons and Dragons, Jessie must learn to accept her new identity. I found this to be a very interesting book that deals with teenagers’ insecurities about themselves very well as they grow and develop and try to discover who they are. Jessie is a lovable character that you find yourself cheer...more
Aug 04, 2011
Anna
added it
Jessie, the protagonist of Julie Halpern's Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, has a dilemma. She's had two best friends, Bizza and Char, since first grade, and she's pretty much gone along with whatever trendy thing--starting in a band, writing a soap opera, or becoming punk groupies--they wanted to get into. But more and more, Jessie realizes that there are things she likes to do for herself, like make cool skirts, or kick ass at calculus. She's afraid that these things might get her the label of "nerd...more
I thought the book was soo cute, it felt like the book was about me. I think every girl who has a bit of nerd in her, will love this book. I laughed so hard reading this book. I smiled so big reading it. I was so inspired by this book as well, like I am going to sew skirts like there is no tomorrow, just because of Jessie.
Btw there was Danish references both in the book and by the author and that is a big AWESOME from a little dorky Danish girl who sits in her room in the middle of the night wri...more
Btw there was Danish references both in the book and by the author and that is a big AWESOME from a little dorky Danish girl who sits in her room in the middle of the night wri...more
It's sophomore year, and math/skirt-sewing whiz Jessie isn't too happy with her life. Thanks to her older brother Barrett and her childhood friends, she's been sucked into the punk scene, and despite her crush on the band's drummer and her own ability to substitute for him, it just doesn't feel right. Particularly when her friends morph themselves into punk groupies, and one of them goes after Jessie's crush. Slowly Jessie--who sews herself crazy new skirts nearly every day--figures out that she...more
I really liked this book. Jessie struggled with many of the same things we all do at that age: whether to be cool or to be the person we know we are inside. That doesn't necessarily mean playing D&D on Friday nights, but it can be difficult to come to the realization that the cool crowd isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I was part of that "punk" crowd in high school, so I can really relate to the whole scene Halpern describes. It made me chuckle at the recognition. The situations are so real a...more
I was part of that "punk" crowd in high school, so I can really relate to the whole scene Halpern describes. It made me chuckle at the recognition. The situations are so real a...more
Candid, Character-driven, Engaging, Realistic, Upbeat.
Angie says: Jessie is about to start her sophomore year in high school, and she’s not sure where she belongs. She’s never been part of a clique; she’s always just tagged along with her two best friends Bizza and Char. But Bizza and Char have spent the summer reinventing themselves as wannabe punk rockers and using Jessie and her cool punk brother to get friendly with the guy that Jessie’s had a crush on forever. Now Jessie feels like she’s re...more
Angie says: Jessie is about to start her sophomore year in high school, and she’s not sure where she belongs. She’s never been part of a clique; she’s always just tagged along with her two best friends Bizza and Char. But Bizza and Char have spent the summer reinventing themselves as wannabe punk rockers and using Jessie and her cool punk brother to get friendly with the guy that Jessie’s had a crush on forever. Now Jessie feels like she’s re...more
Julie Halpern's new book asks the basic question, "If you go into the wild nerd yonder, can you ever come back?" In Into the Wild Nerd Yonder Jessie provides an honest narrator that takes us through a story of old friendships passing away and new ones developing in surprising places. Jessie's best friends decide to remake themselves into punk groupies of her brother's basement band. Worse, one of them is making moves on the drummer, Jessie's long time crush. The crush who has just started paying...more
It was tough staying with this book long enough to become interested in it. The book is something of a Bildungsroman in that it is intended to describe the growth of the main character into maturity. Unfortunately, Jessie, the heroine, isn't very interesting and she's surrounded by people who aren't nice and who you'd rather she wasn't with.
The sole saving grace of the early parts of the book is Jessie's older brother Barrett. He's devoted to Jessie without being a wimp about it and their intera...more
The sole saving grace of the early parts of the book is Jessie's older brother Barrett. He's devoted to Jessie without being a wimp about it and their intera...more
This book is no literary masterpiece, but its one of the funniest novels I've ever read (and it's a short, fun read too - I finished it in a little more than 24 hours). I fell in love with all of the hilarious characters immediately, from quirky makes-her-own-funky-skirts Jessie, to curly-haired-nerdy-but-sweet Henry, to Dungeon-and-Dragon-master-dork Dottie, to adoring-ex-punk older brother Barrett. Jessie was so likable and simple; after being ditched by her oldest friends in the world on the...more
This book should have been around when I was in high school, maybe then there would have been some girls to game with.
It's interesting to compare this to "Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress", by Shelly Mazzanoble. That book was intended to be an introduction to D&D for women, and was published by Wizards of the Coast to promote D&D. It didn't seem to do a very good job. Maybe it sold gangbusters and there a ton of all-lady groups killing monsters, but nobody seems to have heard of them...more
It's interesting to compare this to "Confessions of a Part-Time Sorceress", by Shelly Mazzanoble. That book was intended to be an introduction to D&D for women, and was published by Wizards of the Coast to promote D&D. It didn't seem to do a very good job. Maybe it sold gangbusters and there a ton of all-lady groups killing monsters, but nobody seems to have heard of them...more
Jessie had always liked the first day of school before. Jessie loved the new books, new pencils, new teachers, and new adventures to be had. But, that was before the big change her best friends went through the summer before their sophomore year of high school. Jessie and Bizza and Char were always the best of friends who stuck together and braved life and school together. But, that was before Bizza and Char turned punk over the summer. Jessie is still her same old self – not exactly sure who sh...more
In Mrs. Tessler's Class: Girl Problems (Parental permission required)
A grab from my husband's young adult lit class, we were really excited about this since it seemed to deal with a teen girl discovering that nerds aren't so bad and getting involved in D&D. Which, ya know, we like that idea being pretty big nerds ourselves.
The book,however, takes over half its length to even deal with that topic as the main character deals with her brother going to college, his dissolution from the punk worl...more
A grab from my husband's young adult lit class, we were really excited about this since it seemed to deal with a teen girl discovering that nerds aren't so bad and getting involved in D&D. Which, ya know, we like that idea being pretty big nerds ourselves.
The book,however, takes over half its length to even deal with that topic as the main character deals with her brother going to college, his dissolution from the punk worl...more
Jessie sews her own skirts, aces math class, plays the drums and is basically adorable. Anyway, the gist of this novel is that she casts off her loser poseur friends for a bunch of nerds who play D&D. Hilarity ensues.
I did have a few "eh" moments, but they are minimal and easily disregarded. As a teenager, I was fascinated by the social ladder as depicted in youth media (Mean Girls, The Princess Diaries, Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me") because I never really noticed it at my own high sc...more
I did have a few "eh" moments, but they are minimal and easily disregarded. As a teenager, I was fascinated by the social ladder as depicted in youth media (Mean Girls, The Princess Diaries, Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me") because I never really noticed it at my own high sc...more
8 likes · like · see review
Jessie Sloan is starting to settle into her sophomore year in high school, and it is going to be one defined by change. Her best friends, Bizza and Char, have opted to go with a new grungy look, and ,to make matters worse, Bizza has set her eyes on Van, a guy Jessie has been crushing on for years. Van is a good friend and bandmate with Jessie's older brother Barrett, who will be heading off to colelge the following year. All of this gets our gal Jessie wondering if she really wants to be friends...more
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder is an excellent story that demonstrates how childhood friends grow up and grow apart. Jessie has always been the nerdiest girl in her group of three — making her own skirts out of silly fabrics so as to wear a new one each day of the week — so when Bizza and Char start to take a particular interest in her older brother’s punked out friends she finds herself increasingly distant from the crowd.
More than your average alienated teen story, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder showcas...more
More than your average alienated teen story, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder showcas...more
A grab from my husband's young adult lit class, we were really excited about this since it seemed to deal with a teen girl discovering that nerds aren't so bad and getting involved in D&D. Which, ya know, we like that idea being pretty big nerds ourselves.
The book,however, takes over half its length to even deal with that topic as the main character deals with her brother going to college, his dissolution from the punk world, and the break up she has with her two "best friends" The self iden...more
The book,however, takes over half its length to even deal with that topic as the main character deals with her brother going to college, his dissolution from the punk world, and the break up she has with her two "best friends" The self iden...more
A fun, brisk read. Very easy to get through, nothing at all complex or new.
Unfortunately, that also made it a little boring. For the whole first half I couldn't sympathise with the main character at all. I thought she was whiny and weak. Her troubles never really seamed to have any weight - the consequences were trifling and I couldn't help thinking, she's 14 (10? 16? not quite sure what age she was supposed to be) - she'll get over all this. Probably won't even remember it by the time she's 20...more
Unfortunately, that also made it a little boring. For the whole first half I couldn't sympathise with the main character at all. I thought she was whiny and weak. Her troubles never really seamed to have any weight - the consequences were trifling and I couldn't help thinking, she's 14 (10? 16? not quite sure what age she was supposed to be) - she'll get over all this. Probably won't even remember it by the time she's 20...more
Sophomore Jessie defines herself by her tight, life-long friendship to Bizza and Char. The three have spent the last 10 years executing wacky projects (a lip-synched version of Grease and a self-made spanish soap opera for the local cable station among them). But when Bizza and Char transform overnight into punk-chic groupies for Jessie's brother band, "The Crudhoppers", Jessie finds herself on a search for a new definition. Halpern has created a first person voice that feels honest and REAL (wi...more
Rating: buyable!
Cover Critique: eyecatching!
Though I wanted to read this book before I saw the cover. But I really like the color scheme (though I hate pink) it's still pretty to look at.
Critical Reading: I loved the characters and their descriptions. But to me this story kinda lagged at the ending, not to give away any spoilers or anything but it was quite the disappointment. And you could tell that it was rushed.
Review: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder was a good book that could have been much bette...more
Cover Critique: eyecatching!
Though I wanted to read this book before I saw the cover. But I really like the color scheme (though I hate pink) it's still pretty to look at.
Critical Reading: I loved the characters and their descriptions. But to me this story kinda lagged at the ending, not to give away any spoilers or anything but it was quite the disappointment. And you could tell that it was rushed.
Review: Into the Wild Nerd Yonder was a good book that could have been much bette...more
Now that she's in tenth grade, Jessie is starting to notices some changes with her two best friends Bizza and Char. For one thing they only seem to want to hang out when her brother Barrett's punk band will be practicing at Jessie's house. For another they seem to be spending more time with each other than with Jessie. But worst of all is when they each decide to go punk just because of their crushes on Barrett's bandmates, and then hook up with Bizza's longtime crush. But life without her frien...more
I really liked this book. At first, Jessie, the main character got on my nerves a little. I thought it was annoying how she kept reiterating the she loved school, loved math was so smart etc but then she tried to act like she was so much cooler than the nerds. What's the difference? Once I got past that though, I really enjoyed reading this and thought that Halpern did a great job capturing the high school scene, teens and the conflict that teens feel when they might be drawn to someone or somet...more
Oct 13, 2009
Keli
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
humorous,
romance,
realistic,
self-image,
young-adult,
relationships,
strong-female-character
This was an enjoyable realistic book about a teenage girl who dumps her user friends and finds true friends with *gasp* the D&D nerds.
Some things I didn't like about the book: The family got a long far too well for having two teenagers so close in age. The geek group conveniently had a dream boat dressed up in geek clothing. A new pair of pants and some new shoes and viola--perfect boyfriend. The clique jumping happened a little too easy. For someone who's has the cool factor of the punk br...more
Some things I didn't like about the book: The family got a long far too well for having two teenagers so close in age. The geek group conveniently had a dream boat dressed up in geek clothing. A new pair of pants and some new shoes and viola--perfect boyfriend. The clique jumping happened a little too easy. For someone who's has the cool factor of the punk br...more
It’s Jessie’s sophomore year of high school, and all the wrong things in her life are changing. While her hair is still brown, straight, and boring, her friends are nearly unrecognizable as punk poseurs and her older brother has shaved off his Mohawk and traded his punk band scene for dating last year’s Prom Princess. When Jessie’s supposed best friend goes too far with Jessie’s long-time curst, Jessie finally has enough. She decides she needs new friends. In an attempt to discover the social ni...more
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Julie Halpern is the author of Get Well Soon, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder and Don't Stop Now, as well as the picture book Toby and the Snowflakes. In addition to writing, Julie is a middle-school librarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, lived in Australia for six months, and created a couple of zines before she started writing books, and realized she was and always has b...more
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“Char bought a pack of clove cigarettes, claiming they tasted good, to which I ask why doesn't she just go suck on a clove so I don't have to inhale her perfumed second hand smoke?”
—
8 people liked it
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