Sk8er Boy

by Mari Mancusi

Are you a Good Girl?
Do you...
-Allow your parents to micromanage your life so you'll get into the "right" college (aka Dad's alma mater)?

-Sign up for a gazillion after-school activities to be more "well rounded" (though at this point, you're so round, you may roll away!)

-Hang out with fashion-obsessed Populars--who don't accept anyone who doesn't embrace the color pink?

-Date rich, obnoxious jocks like Brent Baker III--who are so cheesy you can't stomach them without crackers?

Or a Bad Girl?
Do you...

-Meet new cool people--like the headmaster's punk-rock daughter Starr?

-Pierce random body parts (ok, just your belly button--but still!) and hope your parents don't notice?

-Date an uber-hot sk8er boy from the wrong side of town--though your parents say "No way!"?

-Fall in love with the sk8er--in a tragic Romeo and Juliet (with text messaging) kind of way?

Good Girl Dawn Miller is about to find out just how good it is to be bad!

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Ebooks

181 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2005

About the author

Mari Mancusi grew up where the north wind meets the sea (otherwise known as Massachusetts), but has since made her home in the great state of Texas, mostly due to her love of summer. (And tacos.) A former Emmy Award winning TV news producer, today she is the author of more than two-dozen books for kids, teens, and adults, mostly of the sci-fi/fantasy variety. In addition to writing, Mari loves traveling, video games, and cosplaying. She is also Mom to an eight year old Frozen superfan who, when recently asked by her teacher to describe her hero answered: “My Mom!” (Okay, fine, she said Kristin Bell.)

You can find Mari online at www.marimancusi.com. She knows several Samanthas.

Reviews

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Contains a lot of spiolers!) Awesome book! Another Romeo and Juliet love story, without the tragic ending! A rich girl named Dawn has decided to get out of her goody too shoes life, and jion the bad girl life with her new found friend Starr. While on the wrong side of the tracks, she meets this really cut guy named Sean. They like each other, and they soon fall in love with each other! Sean is now becoming a priority in her life, and is destroying her education! She falls behind on her schoolwork, and her parents become furious with her. Because not only is she falling behind on her work, she has been skipping all of her extra curricular activities! Which, according to her Dad, she needs to get into Harvard (his dream, he has forced his daughter to have aswell): She wants to pursue her own dream of writing. While all this is happening in her life, her relationship with Sean is growing! He says he is in love with her, and so is she. Though things turn sour when Sean finds out she is from the oppisite side of the tracks! :o He explodes in anger and saddness because of his past with the rich, that Dawn never knew about! They end up breaking up. Can Dawn and Sean rekindle their lost love? Or will thishave to end so soon?

[Megan (The Book Babe) · Rating 2 out of 5]

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Cheeesy. I can't even tell you about this book without it sounding cheesy--because it was. This book was one of the cheesiest books I've ever read! I can't--I'm not in a good place about this book. I thought that the writing was totally meh, and that the characters were extremely cliched. One day love was in play, and I don't think I've ever hated it more. It was cute in The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, but that's the only book that it works in.

In this book, it just makes it all seem rushed, with no real relationship development, or any real character development. Not only were the characters cliche, but they were bland too. I've already forgot the main character's name, and the only reason that I remember Sean and Starr is that they had more development. Still on the low spectrum, though.

Aha! Dawn is her name! Now, Dawn--as she's known--thinks that she's a good girl. She does everything that her parents tell her to do, until one day when she just decides that she's not gonna be good anymore (cliche!!), and that she's gonna be as bad as she can. She's going to hang out with Starr--a social outcast--and make out with a skater boy, who she later claims to have fallen in love with! (And he says he loves her too...all within a day or two. Suspicious.)

She's called Barbie by Starr--for a day--then Starr decides that she's not a Barbie (I disagree...), and starts to call her Dawn. By the end of the book, Dawn herself is calling girls 'Barbie', even though she thought that it was hurtful! {She goes on a date with some guy that her parents want her to date, then he tries to rape her, so she texts Sean, who calls her parents, who come and rescue her...nothing bad ever happens to this girl!} On another note--Dawn talked like she was trying to be young. Like the author was trying to be a hip teen--which I didn't like. At one point in the book, Dawn and Sean exchanges letters (hand-written), that are written in text speak. I could have killed them.

All in all, I'm not very proud of this book. The characters fell flat, and the storyline was boring. :(

[Suzanne Bourgeois]

if i had read this when i was 15 or 16, i would have worn my copy out. reading this as an adult, it really didn't do much for me, but i can see how this would appeal to a young adult. This book has it all, the breaking out and finging out who you really are, the discovering of a whole new world beyond what you grew up with, even the over bearing parents who do all the wrong things becoming the cool parents because they did them for the right reasons. This book has a happy ending with the promise of happy ever after and it's that hope that appeals to my 15 yr old self.

[Sienna Cornwall-Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Was a good storyline. Opposites attract with a good moral compass about who you are not where you come from. I would have liked the romance to be a bit more interesting in the plot line, but was sufficient for a “high school” first love romance.

[Jannat Bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skater Boy is a young adult book and forms part of ‘the First Kiss Club’ series. The story is narrated by 15 year old Dawn, and charts her life as she struggles with her parent’s controlling nature and her first love.
The book is a sort of take on Romeo and Juliet – and Dawn herself likens her situation to the famous story. Dawn is part of the ‘in crowd’ at her private school, and is from the wealthy part of town. She’s destined to go to an Ivy League college and her life is mapped out by ‘the Evil Ones’. She then meets Starr, a new girl at school who encourages Dawn to the ‘wrong side of town’ where she meets Sean – a nice boy who is from a rough part of the city.The characters to me seemed a bit lacking in depth, and the story seemed to moving a bit quickly.

Essentially, the moral of the story is that people should not be defined by their economic circumstances – rich kids are not always nice and poor kids are not always drug dealers and down and outs. So the above being said I think Skater Boy is a good enough read.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

So, this was a bit of a slow start for me. However, once it started to speed up, I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed watching Dawn spread her wings, meeting new friends and finally getting it right with her parents.

[Melanie Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far loving this book! Mari Mancusi is a great writer. If you like YA check her out!

[Brandy Craun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, cried, and got a excited over this book. Very touching story.

[Zaara - thebookfreak · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so cute, i read it in the summer and this is a perfect book to read for the summer!

[Stephanie Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually think I lost brain cells reading this book. It was one cheesy cliché after another. Every other sentence had some hideous 90s slang that I don't ever remember anyone actually using. " that cd is fab!" How fresh!" " as if!" And so so many others! I detested the characters. They were all over done caricatures of stereotypes, but not done ironically. I was shocked to look at the authors page and see she was younger! All while reading this I kept picturing some old bitty desperately trying to write a book of what she thought teens were like.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute young teen book. I'd recommend for 13 to 15 yr olds. I had to make myself read cuz I'm just too old :) Dawn is a teen under pressure from her parents to get in to harvard. Hard classes and tons of extra curricular. She's had enough and rebels a bit, especially after meeting Sean who she thinks her parents won't approve. It all works out in the end.

[CassieJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was younger and I absolutely loved it. I still think about this book from time to time and have reread it quite a few times.

[Uthie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mungkin mood seseorang punya kaitan langsung dengan rating yang akan diberikannya ke buku yang baru diselesaikan. Mungkin mood jugalah yang menyebabkan saya kecewa selama membaca buku ini. Dawn Ashley Miller adalah murid di SMU bergengsi tempat anak-anak orang kaya sekolah, lebih suka bicara tentang puisi, politik dari pada fashion, dan anak tunggal. Sebagai anak tunggal Dawn sudah diarahkan kedua orang tuanya untuk kuliah di Harvard, alumni sang bokap. 

Kehidupan Dawn yang tenag tiba-tiba terusik dengan kedatangan anak baru di sekolahnya. Putri sang kepala sekolah yang dikeluarkan dari sekolah berasrama di Eropa karena (gosipnya) mengikuti aliran ilmu hitam. Cukup meyakinkan sih, karena ia sering bergaya ala gothic. Namanya Starr. Dawn penasaran banget pada sosok Starr. 

Dawn yang sudah memiliki teman-teman sejak dari kecil menentangnya untuk mendekati Starr karena Starr pasti berpengaruh buruk pada Dawn serta Starr tidak termasuk golongan mereka. Tapi Dawn keukeuh buat mendekati Starr. Di luar dugaan Starr menerima kehadiran Dawn yang dipanggilnya dengan sebutan Barbie. 

Dengan gaya gothic dan pemberontaknya Starr jelas tidak nyaman dengan lingkungan sekolah barunya yang high fashion dan bergelimangan berbagai macam barang-barang branded. Starr pun mengajak Dawn ke lingkungannya. Ke tempat para pemain skateboard alias skater boy. Dari sekian banyak skater boy yang ada di lapangan skateboard, satu skater cowok menarik perhatian Dawn. Panggil ia Sean. Sean sendiri setahun diatas Dawn, sekolah di sekolah umum, dan jika ia berhasil masuk universitas maka ia akan menjadi orang pertama dalam keluarganya yang akan kuliah.

Bersama Sean dan tentunya Starr juga pacarnya Starr, Dawn mulai menjelajahi dunia yang selama ini asing baginya. Konsekuensi dari penjelajahan itu adalah bolosnya Dawn di kegiatan-kegiatan ekstrakulikuler. Pada awalnya bisa dipahami kenapa Starr lebih memilih kabur daripada mengikuti pelajaran-pelajaran itu. Setiap hari Dawn selalu dijejali segala macam kegiatan ekstrakulikuler yang diyakini orangtuanya bisa menjadi nilai tambah bagi portfolio-nya untuk masuk ke Harvard dan akan berguna nanti ketika ia tamat. Wajar jika ia jenuh dengan segala macam tuntutan-tuntutan yang berlebihan itu dan kegiatan ekstrakulikuler yang tidak sesuai dengan bakat dan minatnya. Lama kelamaan saya malah jengkel melihat Dawn. Ia menjadi memaksakan diri agar dipandang setara dengan Dawn dan Sean. Tak cukup bolos Dawn juga menindik pusarnya hanya karena tak ingin dianggap sebagai anak-anak oleh Starr.

Pada satu titik, aksi bolos membolos Dawn diketahui oleh orangtuanya, yang ia panggil dengan sebutan “The Devils One”. Ya jelas ketahuan. Dawn yang selama ini tak pernah bolos mendadak tak pernah muncul di hampir setiap kegiatan ekstakulikuler. Dawn pun dihukum dan segala macam alat komunikasi seperti hp, internet, dan sebagainya ditahan oleh orangtuanya. Parahnya disekolah teman-temannya dulu mengasingkannya karena ia bergaul dengan Starr, sementara teman-teman Starr mendepaknya. Starr? Ia sendiri punya masalah besar. Ia dikeluarkan dari sekolah karena ketahuan minum minuman berakohol.

Moral ceritanya pada dasarnya bagus. Pesan untuk tidak menghakimi orang dari tampilan luar dan kekayaannya. Don’t jugde book by it’s cover. Pesan untuk tidak menganggap orang miskin pasti tidak memiliki cita-cita dan hanya tahu berbuat kriminal. Tapi masalahnya, penokohannya terlalu dangkal, plotnya terlalu cepat, dan ending yang agak sedikit memaksa.

Awalnya sih pengen memberikan dua bintang tapi saya tambah bintangnya jadi tiga bintang karena saya suka pada ide Romeo – Juliet-nya, pesan moralnya, serta… saya suka pada sosok skaterboy Sean dan pandangan hidupnya yang jauh ke depan.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read other Mari Mancusi books then you should definitely check this one out. You won't be disappointed. She scored another hit with this book!!

If you are looking for a wonderful, light hearted, easy read this is it! Skater Boy is the story of 15 year old Dawn and her battle between dealing with her parents control issues and her first love.
The book has a Romeo and Juliet feel at times. Dawn is a kid from a priviledged family. She attends private school and is excpected to go to Harvard, like her father, upon graduation. Her life has been mapped out to the second for her by her parents, who she refers to as "the Evil Ones". She spends her days attending school, hanging out with her friends, the Ashley's, attending her multiple extracurricular activities and studying.
Then along comes Starr, she's the new Headmaster's daughter and a rebel. Dawn is drawn to her and her lifestyle of being carefree and doing as she pleases. Starr's influence immediately intrigues Dawn and they start hanging out together. Starr introduces her to the wrong side of town where she meets a handsome sweet skater boy named Sean. Suddenly Dawn doesn't care about her structured life anymore, she only cares about spending more time getting to know Sean. "The Evil Ones" find out about her recent decisions and decide that she needs to get back on track and stop seeing Sean. Upon letting her go out on a date with a boy from another privledged family that they approve of "The Evil Ones" quickly find out that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
Overall I loved this story. It was very lighthearted and the characters were likable. It did feel a bit rushed at times. I really would have liked to get to know more about Sean and Starr. You get a glimpse at their lives but the story doesn't go in to depth about either of them. I would like to see more books about this likable trio of characters so we can learn more about them.
This story teaches that shouldn't judge someone based on their circumstances. Just because someone is poor or lives in a bad part of town doesn't mean that they are a bad person and just because you come from an affluent family doesn't mean that you are a good person or are happy with your life. Dawn learned from Sean that money doesn't equal happiness. This is a YA novel but I think that it will appeal to an adult market also. I mean, who doesn't like a good love story :)

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skater Boy is a young adult book and forms part of ‘the First Kiss Club’ series. The story is narrated by 15 year old Dawn, and charts her life as she struggles with her parent’s controlling nature and her first love.

The book is a sort of take on Romeo and Juliet – and Dawn herself likens her situation to the famous story. Dawn is part of the ‘in crowd’ at her private school, and is from the wealthy part of town. She’s destined to go to an Ivy League college and her life is mapped out by ‘the Evil Ones’. She then meets Starr, a new girl at school who encourages Dawn to the ‘wrong side of town’ where she meets Sean – a nice boy who is from a rough part of the city.

Essentially, the moral of the story is that people should not be defined by their economic circumstances – rich kids are not always nice and poor kids are not always drug dealers and down and outs.

The characters to me seemed a bit lacking in depth, and the story seemed to move quickly over just two or three weeks; I’d have liked to have seen more development of the character. Dawn didn’t come across as particularly likeable – she dumped the friends she’d known for her entire life – she’d grown bored of their conversations – and took up with Starr. The short time period also made quite a bit of the story seem implausible – I’d have liked it to have been split over 2-3 months rather then 2-3 weeks. I also think the book will date really quickly as there are so many cultural references in it; it felt at times that Mancusi was almost trying too hard to make the book ‘hip’ and appealing.

That said, it’s a nice comfortable read with a good moral story behind it. I’m not sure it’s a book that will appeal to an adult market – this is firmly a YA novel, and I’d even say it’d be more suited to the younger end of the YA market.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is a nice, quick read. Rich girl whose life is planned out by the Evil Ones (a.k.a. her parents) takes a step outside of her world and encounters life on the other side of the tracks. There she meets and falls in love with a poor skater boy named Sean. With Sean, she finds freedom to be who she wants to be and not what her parents want her to be. Plus, he’s a hottie and that always helps! Her new found rebellion allows her the opportunity to see that her goals (and not her parents' goals) are valid and possible. I liked how the author portrayed the parents and their controlling dialogue seemed realistic. However, the story felt too rushed. The young couple fell in love way too fast. They hardly spent any time together and as we all know, high schoolers are very fickle. I wish there had been more development between the couple and her parents. Honestly, I found it difficult to believe parents who have micromanage their child’s life since birth would suddenly change their minds and be so understanding about their daughter’s desires that quickly. They went from dominating to understanding with a snap of the finger. Also, the ending was a little farfetched.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a cute but also funny book then you will like this book or maybe even love it. I loved this book because it can teach others not to judge people by where they live but by their personalities and by how they treat others. I mean the main girl character came from a very rich family but she's still a good girl . Then she met this guy that's from not so good neighboorhood. But he still was a good guy . even though he wasn't raised in the best of ways.And he treated people with respect even when they didn't think he was a person at first. I think that anybody that has read any of Mari Mancusi's books and liked them should read this one for alittle bit of a love story kinda like a modern day Romeo and Juliet love story with out it being to saucy. This book is also a good book for people of all ages from age 12-up . It's not just for Teenagers it's for Adults too.

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after I saw it featured on Nook Lovers, which is site that complies affordable books for the Nook. The ebook was going for a good price and I had the money, so I decided to buy it. Add to the fact that it's by a author I enjoy.

Dawn is the sheltered heroine who becomes fed up with all the pressure her parents put on her. First she meets the girl Starr and then the boy from the other side of the track, Sean. I've been a big fan of Romeo and Juliet since I was in high school, so the star crossed lovers thing appealed to me.

The book is a quick read and it's really sweet. I found myself laughing out loud during a few moments. I definitely plan on reading more of Ms. Mancusi's stuff.

[Jessica Meier · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a quick read and this book did the trick. I can't say that I was pulled into the story as I have been with other books, but it did keep my interest. Dawn is a daughter of a rich family that has over scheduled her life, meaning she has no life essentially. Enter Starr the rebellious daughter of the head master of the school and Dawn sees the world from a different perspective. Enter Skater Boy aka Sean and instant attraction and 'love'. The relationship moves a little fast for me and the end of the book is a bit choppy. Will Dawn's parents accept the Skater Boy from the ghetto or will they force her onto the slimy Brent?

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This is a fast (181 pages) read. Although it had drama, I would call it YA light.

It touches on several important topics like class, alcoholism, pressure from parents, sexual assault but very lightly.

The romance is at warp speed and at 15 years old she's met her soul mate.

Dawn hates her parents, calling them the Evil Ones.

I sort of wanted to roll my eyes at times while reading the book but then took a second to think of myself at that age and everything did seem that BIG and dramatic and FOREVER so I lightened up and mostly enjoyed Dawn's journey.

Cute book for the younger YA set and something that could lead to interesting discussions if read with a parent.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so cool. I read it in two days!
This girl Dawn has people run her life for her and she's tired of it.
The evil ones (as she calls her parents) are stuck eith the idea of having their daughter enrolled in Harvard even though she's not into that idea AT ALL. She likes writing poetry and she thinks it's silly
because she knows nobody makes money that way today.
She's tired of being a goody-goody and starts hanging out with "bad" people (starr,sean) and people on the wrong side of town (aka where the not rich people live and "its all ghetto")

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

It perceives a story about being what you are and not being what you ought others think you should be. This just gives a tingle when I read it, followed by the thoughts of dread as to where she is headed when she goes out to decide that she would be trying to be on her way out her miss little goody too shoes personality. But when it settle to me that Sean is just what balances her and her state of thinking she doesn't belong. I was perpetually happy when her parents(formerly called The Evil Ones) is just a normal couple only there for there daughter's success.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Sk8ter Boy tells the sweet love story of Dawn Millers, a wealthy and sheltered fifteen-year-old girl with controlling parents, and Sean McNally, a poor seventeen-year-old skater boy from the wrong part of town.

This book is a very light and easy read; a modern take on the Romeo and Juliet story (without the tragic ending!).

Teenage girls and hopelessly romantics will definitely enjoy this book.

[Katrina Knittle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a nice, cute, and quick story to read. To sum up the book it's about a rich girl. Her life is already planned out for her by her parents. She ends up taking a step out of her normal life and encounters life on the wrong side of the track. From there she meets a boy and falls in love with him. The book has it's flaws. One of the biggest would be how easily her parents changed there minds. And I wish the ending would have been a little more realistic. But other then that cute read and definitely something to read on a rainy day.

[Agent X · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars. It's true.

Let me preface this by saying I knew what I was getting into before I began. I mean, come on, the book has the same name as an Avril Lavigne song. Of course it was going to be high school drama with a little 2000s style cheeziness sprinkled on top.

But it still got three stars from me. Hey. It was fun to read. It wasn't the best written book, but it certainly wasn't the worst. And it wouldn't have any stars from me if it wasn't entertaining. #Nostalgia

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skater Boy was a cute story about a rich girl who falls for a poor boy. It wasn’t too deep and it was quick to read. However, I felt the story was cut off too soon and could’ve been longer. I would’ve like to have learned more about Starr and watched a buildup of Dawn and Sean falling for each other vice love at first sight. Still it was a good read. I read in less than 6 hours.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Sk8er Boy in my earlier years of high school and enjoyed it. While the plotline is a little cliche/silly it is very well written. It's the type of book that's a good quick read for a day on the beach. As previous reviewers mentioned there is a good amount of themes teens can relate to in the story.

[Sally Hannoush · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Skater Boy" is a great read. It evokes emotion every step of the way as if I am right there with Dawn and her friends. Dawn is 15 years old and trying to break free from her parents tight hold and expectations. She takes a walk on the wild side when she meets a new friend, Starr. Who knew rebellion could be so much fun? This book is very easy to relate to and highly recommended.

[Valynne Maetani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that they had half stars because I think I would have given this a 3.5. I, admittedly, liked this book better than I thought I would. I guess I can relate to the skater boys I hung out with in high school and the rich preppy kids I went to school with.

[Samigurl silent · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book! this girl is so perfect, but then when she meets this guy, she becomes a rebel! going to parties, and getting her belly-button pierced! it seemed so real mainly because some teenagers do that.