Teacher's Pets

by Crystal Hurdle

A new take on the verse novels for teens

Thought provoking, sexy, edgy, and affecting, Teacher’s Pets explores what happens along the line that should not be crossed. Join a group of Venturers, a Wilderness Training school group, on their treks into the great outdoors of supernatural British Columbia and the mysteries of love and loss. Told in a series of free-verse poems from a lively crew of characters, interspersed with student assignments and the comments on them, discussions in and out of the classroom, journal entries, report cards, lists, and horoscopes, this book will engage teens and adults alike.

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2014

Reviews

[Aysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in a single night. Engaging, heartrending, disturbing. Funny in its irreverence, which is appropriate in context (don't think that went unappreciated!). It deals with a lot of heavy subject matter, but doesn't make it heavier than it has to be, if that makes sense. The way it's written is very interesting— I picked this up expecting it to read like any old volume of poems, but it's structured more like a novel than a book of poetry. All the poems read together, like a play. You get a real sense of the characters from seeing how they all write. The structure works very well for a story like this, and the book wouldn't be the same without it.

The back describes it as "sexy" but I'm not so sure I would describe it that way. At times, sure! But at about 24 pages in, you start to realize what the book is really about and it's impossible to read it the same way after that. I don't want to spoil anything, but: this is not a love story, and I'd be wary of anyone who reads it as one.

Overall, I liked it! Very affecting, and worth checking out.