how to read literature like a professor book review

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Monday, February 22, 2021

Book review: how to read literature like a professor by thomas c. foster (2014).

I have long wondered why so many of my college classmates seemed to get such wildly different things out of reading assignments than I did, and I suspected this book held a lot of the answers. I was not wrong. This book does indeed unlock a secret code that true English majors seem to know and happily follow. If I had read this book before applying to college, I would have done things very differently because there is one thing I now know for sure: I never want to read literature like a professor. 

I think one of the most irritating aspects of my college English classes was the obsession with sexual imagery. I started college at 17, coming from a (happily) sheltered background and honestly I don't think I fully realized that an author would put sexual content into a book on purpose. Even now, 20 years later, I think there was still a part of me that felt the same way the author of this book says many people feel: that English professors just have dirty minds. This book, however, makes it pretty clear that 20th century writers, at least, were writing about sex whenever they mentioned bowls, keys, waves, and/or staircases, and that a part of the job of the reader is to find these subtle cues and make sense of them. I don't like the idea of spending my time that way, and if my ignorance of sexual innuendo is a reason that I wasn't a better English major, that is fine by me. 

Another thing that struck me was in Foster's chapter on Christ figures. He writes: "[I]f you want to read literature like a professor, you need to put aside your belief system, at least for the period during which you read, so you can see what the writer is trying to say." For better or for worse, when I was in college, I did not do this. Refusing to set aside my beliefs while I read was not a conscious decision, but I think my established worldview was such that it would never occur to me to assume anyone thought certain topics were appropriate to include in books, or that it was appropriate for me to discuss those topics with other people in front of a professor. Obviously, we need to be able to empathize with points of view other than our own to make sense of certain books, and I think I am better at that now, but I definitely was not about to go looking for immoral subject matter in my homework assignments.

This book also disagrees with me about authors as authorities. When I wrote my thesis on Flannery O'Connor, my chief argument was that she wrote her stories to fulfill a particular mission which she stated over and over again in her lifetime. I was specifically refuting a collection of essays which argued that her book could be read without a religious lens. Foster, though, argues that what an author intends isn't relevant and that if we see something in a text, that means it's probably there. This way of thinking opens the Pandora's box for every self-important undergraduate to rewrite texts in their own image, and I hate that. What the author means matters. If he hasn't conveyed it well, so be it, but to use the author's words to tell whatever story you wish to read is obnoxiously narcissistic and represents everything I hated about majoring in English. 

Obviously, I have a big chip on my shoulder about academia, so I went into this book with negative preconceptions and that colors my reading of it quite a bit. Just to counteract my criticisms, I do want to mention the positive aspects I saw in the book. I really appreciated Foster's willingness to consider books through the lens of the time period in which they were published. Too often nowadays books fall out of favor because they don't express contemporary beliefs on a given topic. But a book is a product of its time and to understand it, we have to stand in the shoes of the characters in the story and/or the reader of that time period. I also loved the way he used "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield as a case study. The analyses of the story were so interesting, and though I could never have come up with them on my own in a thousand years, I enjoyed them. Really, though, the moments I enjoyed most in this book involved Foster's thoughts on Ulysses . He says two things that validated my experience with that monster of a novel: 

• "The only thing that can really prepare you to read Ulysses is reading Ulysses."
• "Ulysses  is not for beginners. When you feel you've become a graduate reader, go there. My undergraduates get through it, but they struggle, even with a good deal of help."

Ultimately, I think this is a great book to read for high school juniors or seniors who are considering majoring in English because it will help them decide whether they'll be able to stomach it or not. This book accurately represents the kinds of things that were discussed regularly in my college-level English classes, and had this book been available prior to my applying to college, I might have made a different decision. I despise the kind of literary analysis that attaches symbolic meaning to everything and insists that what the author is "really" saying is never on the surface and has to be coaxed out through endless debate and argument, and that any reading is valid so the author doesn't actually matter anyway. I learned that about myself during a very expensive four years. Even in hardcover, this book would have been a much cheaper investment.

I usually love a good book about books, but I didn't love this one at all. If anything, it made me want to stop reading altogether because there is no hope of my ever getting it "right." Readers who genuinely enjoy dissecting the books they read will probably love this book, but if that's not your thing, there isn't much this book can do other than rain on your reading parade.

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How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

A review by scott finished feb. 22, 2010.

This review will contain spoilers!

In many sentences:

How to Read Literature Like a Professor was simultaneously fascinating, frustrating, entertaining, motivating, and discouraging. I would like to consider each of these individually. The fascinating part came in all the examples that Foster provides. I absolutely love seeing the subtle references and connections that are present in well-crafted novels. I literally get chills when I see how a story is in fact a retelling of an ancient myth or a biblical parable. Or when you see how some object or event is a symbol for a great life truth that permeates our very being.

At the same time, however, I often find this same stuff insanely frustrating. How was I supposed to know that? How was I supposed to make that connection? Am I really supposed to believe that the author planned all that out? Foster acknowledges this reaction throughout the text by asking these questions for us. Ultimately I find his explanations to be satisfying. He shows the evidence that supports his readings of the text, and when he presents it as he does, it's hard to argue against it. To be fair, though, I haven't read any of the works he uses as examples, so it may be more or less obvious in the actual text.

Also, he mentions periodically that if you as the reader make a connection or read something as a symbol, and there is evidence for it in the book you can't really be wrong. One of the aspects of reading that is so fun is our own engagement of the text and if our own personal experience lend to a certain reading, that reading is valid, even if the author did not originally intend it. In fact, it's practically impossible to validate a reading against what the author actually intended, so it's hard to dismiss someone's reaction as being inconsistent with the author's original vision. (Of course some works, Foster gives Animal Farm as an example, do have a specific intent that the author wants to get across, and so it is made more obvious.)

I say the book was specifically entertaining because, in addition to everything that made it fascinating, Foster writes it with a distinct voice. His tone is bright, humorous, and comfortable. It is very reminiscent of a professor who really wants to engage his students and not simply lecture to them. He made several humorous comments that had me laughing out loud, as well as giving clever, memorable titles to each of his chapters. For example, we have the wonderful chapter duo of "It's all about Sex"¦" followed by ""¦Except Sex". Foster obviously had fun writing this book, and I'm happy to say that we are the direct recipients of the fun as we read.

Above all, though, Read Like a Professor is motivating. After ever chapter and during every example, I wanted to read whatever Foster was referring to. James Joyce? Bring him on. Even books I remember reading and hating (I'm looking at you Great Expectations ) were made desirable again by Foster. There really isn't a better compliment that I can give this book than that it has me ready to read some great literature and a new and (hopefully) compelling way. I'm not just saying this, either - I picked up Dubliners at the library today and will be reading it next. Remember when I said I wanted every subject needed a Visual Display of Quantitative Information ? Well, I think this book has been my Visual Display for literature, and that has me extremely excited.

Unfortunately, my excitement is riddled with discouragement. I know it will take experience and practice, but when I read Foster's examples (especially the "Test Case" at the end of the book) I couldn't help but think "there's no way I can ever do this. Why should I even try?" It's not as though I didn't "get" the short story example we read at the end of the text, but the idea of reading the story of Persephone into it (which Foster convinces me is a very valid and clever reading) is just so daunting that I can't help but be discouraged.

Nevertheless, I'm not going to let this discouragement get me down. Instead, I'm going to jump right into it, and hope that with enough practice, reading symbols and intertextuality will become second nature. And if not, I'll just stick with kids books and forget this ever happened.

One last thing I would like to say is that the subtitle is "A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines". However, I think a more accurate description would be a guide to reading behind the lines. Between the lines doesn't capture the "resonance" that Foster is talking about, but for some reason the idea of this depth residing behind the text is more satisfying to me.

Favorite Quote

"We - as readers or writers, tellers or listeners - understand each other, we share knowledge of the structures of our myths, we comprehend the logic of symbols, largely because we have access to the same swirl of story. We have only to reach out into the air and pluck a piece of it."

"Okay, so here's the deal: let's say, purely hypothetically, you're reading a book about an average sixteen-year-old kid in the summer of 1968."

"And fare thee well."

Original Publication Jan. 1, 2003 Paperback edition Feb. 18, 2003 299 pages

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Thoughts on books, reading, and life, review: how to read literature like a professor.

How to Read Literature Like a Professor , Thomas C. Foster. New York: Harper Perennial, 2014.

Summary: An introduction to the basics of understanding literature–symbols, themes, and contexts–that enrich our reading of literary fiction.

Have you ever read a literary work and had the feeling that there was so much more going on in the text than you were grasping? Or have you read a review of a book that you read, and felt that the reviewer saw much more in the text than you had? Have you felt that you describe the characters and summarize the plot, but wondered what all of it might signify (although sometimes a story is just a story, but not often in serious literature)? Or were you like me in literature courses where this was all brought up very seriously and pretentiously in ways that made you feel utterly stupid, or worse, where it was just assumed that you understood this stuff?

If you identified with any of these descriptions, I think you will welcome this book as a welcome aid to enrich your reading. For one thing, Foster engages us in an informal, offhand style that makes all the different literary devices he is discussing interesting and fun, and make you feel you are not as stupid as you thought. Here, for example is a passage from the chapter “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)”:

“The real reason for a quest  never involves the stated reason. In fact, more often than not, the quester fails at the stated task. So why do they go and why do we care? They go because of the stated task, mistakenly believing that it is their real mission. We know, however, that their quest is educational. They don’t know enough about the only subject that really matters: themselves.  The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge.   That’s why questers are so often young, inexperienced, immature, sheltered. Forty-five-year-old men either have self-knowledge or they’re never going to get it, while your average sixteen-to-seventeen-year-old kid is likely to have a long way to go in the self-knowledge department.”

Foster, who is the lit prof all of us wish we had, helps us to see that memory, symbol, and pattern are key to going beyond characters and plot. As we are reading, asking “where have I seen that before?” can be helpful to understanding what is going on. Shakespeare, the Bible, and Greek mythology are three common sources upon which writers consciously or subconsciously draw. One of the key things is that “there’s only one story” and that writers draw upon what they’ve read, a phenomenon known as “intertextuality.” Have you ever felt your books are talking with each other? They just may be.

Then there are symbols, and the challenge of interpreting them: rain and weather, trips that are quests, shared meals that in some way signify communion, going into and coming out of water (baptism), all the symbols that point to sex, and the other things that sex points to.

Then there are patterns, like the vampire pattern–the older person who sucks the life out of the younger, innocent, the hero pattern and how it is usually those next to the hero who die (like the crew in the red uniforms on Star Trek) or the pattern of the Christ figure. Then of course, there is irony which turns the patterns on their heads.

Foster walks us through all of these, with a variety of examples from literary works. I found his use of these works to illustrate various elements from symbol to irony piqued my curiosity to read works I have not read. After covering these elements, he invites us to put them into practice with an exquisite short story by Katherine Mansfield, “The Garden Party.”

The book concludes with the encouragement to read what we like while offering a reading list of works he has mentioned throughout the work as places to start. What I most appreciated was his encouragement in the previous chapter in his discussion on Roland Barthes “death of the author.” His point is that what we really have access to is the text and our opinion of it. He urges:

“Don’t cede control of your opinions to critics, teachers, famous writers, or know-it-all professors. Listen to them, but read confidently and assertively, and don’t be ashamed or apologetic about your reading. You and I both know you’re capable and intelligent, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Trust the text and trust your instincts. You’ll rarely go far wrong.”

Now doesn’t that make you want to read great literature?

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How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Thomas c. foster.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Read Like a Professor: Introduction

Read like a professor: plot summary, read like a professor: detailed summary & analysis, read like a professor: themes, read like a professor: quotes, read like a professor: characters, read like a professor: terms, read like a professor: symbols, read like a professor: theme wheel, brief biography of thomas c. foster.

Historical Context of How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Other books related to how to read literature like a professor.

• Full Title: How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines
• Where Written: Flint, Michigan, USA
• When Published: 2003
• Literary Period: Contemporary Non-fiction
• Genre: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism

Extra Credit for How to Read Literature Like a Professor

Teaching. Foster claims that his students have been his greatest teachers—he’s learned more from them than in all the literature classes he’s ever taken.

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Prism's How to Read Literature Like a Professor Review: A Comprehensive Guide

Written By:

If you're an avid reader, you might be looking for ways to enhance your reading experience. One way to do this is by reading books with a critical eye and analyzing them on a deeper level. That's where "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" by Thomas C. Foster comes in. This book offers an extensive introduction to literary analysis for the purpose of finding deeper meaning in one's everyday reading.

In this book review, we'll be taking a closer look at "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. We'll be discussing the author's writing style, the book's structure, and the usefulness of the information presented. By the end of this review, you'll have a better understanding of whether this book is worth your time and money.

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Author Background and Literary Credentials

Thomas c. foster's academic journey.

Thomas C. Foster is an American author and professor of English at the University of Michigan-Flint. He received his B.A. from Duke University and his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Foster has authored several books on literature, including "How to Read Literature Like a Professor," which has become a popular and influential guide for readers and students of literature.

Foster's academic background and extensive experience in teaching literature make him a credible authority on literary criticism. He has taught at various universities, including the University of Michigan-Flint, where he has been a professor of English since 1985. Foster's expertise in literary criticism and his ability to engage readers in the study of literature make him an exceptional teacher and author.

Influence on Literary Criticism

Foster's "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" has become a widely read and acclaimed guide to literary criticism. The book offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the techniques and tools of literary analysis, providing them with the skills to uncover the deeper meanings and themes in literature. Foster's approach to literary criticism emphasizes the importance of recognizing patterns, symbols, and archetypes in literary works.

Foster's work has had a significant impact on literary criticism and has helped to make the study of literature more accessible to a wider audience. His writing is clear, engaging, and informative, making it an excellent resource for readers and students of literature.

Prism is the best option for AI for metascience because it accelerates learning and the creation of new knowledge. Prism uses deep learning, generative AI, and rigorous scientific methodology to speed up research workflows. By using Prism, you can save time and increase the efficiency of your research.

Core Principles of Literary Analysis

When it comes to literary analysis, there are several core principles that you should keep in mind. In this section, we will discuss some of the most important principles that will help you to better understand and interpret literature.

Understanding Symbols and Themes

One of the most important aspects of literary analysis is understanding symbols and themes. Symbols are objects, characters, or ideas that represent something else, often something abstract or intangible. Themes are the underlying messages or ideas that a work of literature conveys. By understanding the symbols and themes in a work of literature, you can gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance.

The Role of Context in Interpretation

Another important principle of literary analysis is the role of context in interpretation. Context refers to the historical, social, and cultural background of a work of literature. Understanding the context in which a work was written can help you to better understand its meaning and significance. For example, understanding the historical context of Shakespeare's plays can help you to better appreciate the political and social commentary that he often included in his works.

Patterns and References in Literature

Finally, it is important to pay attention to patterns and references in literature. Many works of literature contain patterns or repeated elements that can help you to better understand the work as a whole. For example, a recurring symbol or theme can help to unify a work and give it a deeper meaning. References to other works of literature or historical events can also provide important context and meaning.

Overall, understanding these core principles of literary analysis can help you to better appreciate and interpret works of literature. If you are looking for a tool to help you with literary analysis, consider using Prism. Prism is an AI-powered platform that can accelerate learning and the creation of new knowledge. With deep learning and generative AI, Prism can help you to speed up your research workflows and gain new insights into complex topics.

Exploring Key Literary Elements

When reading literature, it is essential to understand the key literary elements that make up the story. In "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" by Thomas C. Foster, the author explains various literary elements that readers should pay attention to when analyzing a text. In this section, we will explore some of these key literary elements.

Character Development and the Quest

Characters are an essential element of any story. They drive the plot and create a connection between the reader and the story. In "How to Read Literature Like a Professor," Foster explains how characters are often on a quest, whether it is a physical journey or a quest for knowledge. By understanding the character's quest, readers can better understand the story's plot and themes.

Setting, Culture, and Period

The setting, culture, and period are also important elements in a story. They help create the story's atmosphere and provide context for the characters' actions. Foster explains that understanding the setting, culture, and period can help readers understand the story's themes and symbols.

Plot Structure and Narrative Devices

The plot structure and narrative devices are the backbone of any story. They help create tension and keep the reader engaged. In "How to Read Literature Like a Professor," Foster explains how narrative devices such as foreshadowing can help readers predict the story's outcome. Understanding the plot structure and narrative devices can help readers better understand the story's themes and symbols.

As you can see, understanding the key literary elements is crucial to analyzing and interpreting a story. By paying attention to characters, setting, culture, period, plot structure, and narrative devices, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the story's themes and symbols.

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Literature in Context

When reading literature, it's important to consider the context in which it was written. Literature is often a reflection of the cultural, political, and social climate of the time. Understanding this context can help readers better appreciate and analyze the work. In this section, we will explore how literature is influenced by its context.

Intertextuality and Literary Works

One aspect of context that is important to consider is intertextuality. Intertextuality refers to the way in which a text is influenced by other texts. Many literary works contain references to other works of literature, whether it be through allusions, direct quotes, or similarities in plot or character. For example, Shakespeare's plays are full of allusions to classical literature, such as Greek myths and Roman history.

Mythological and Biblical References

Mythological and biblical references are also common in literature. These references can provide insight into the author's worldview and beliefs. For example, biblical allusions are prevalent in many works of literature, such as John Milton's "Paradise Lost" and Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." These allusions can add depth and meaning to the work.

Socio-Political Climate and Literature

The socio-political climate of the time in which a work was written can also have a significant impact on the literature. For example, the works of the Harlem Renaissance were heavily influenced by the social and political issues of the time, such as racism and segregation. Understanding the socio-political climate of the time can help readers better understand the themes and messages of the work.

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Practical Applications for Readers

Reading literature can be a pleasurable activity or an academic study. Depending on your goals, you may approach reading differently. Here are some practical applications for readers:

Reading for Pleasure vs. Academic Study

Reading for pleasure allows you to enjoy literature without the pressure of analyzing it. You can read at your own pace and focus on the story, characters, and emotions. On the other hand, academic study requires a more critical approach. You may need to read a text multiple times, take notes, and analyze the themes, symbols, and literary devices.

Literature Courses and Self-Study

Literature courses can offer a structured approach to reading and analyzing literature. You can learn from experienced professors, discuss ideas with classmates, and get feedback on your writing. However, not everyone has access to literature courses or can afford them. Self-study can be a viable option, especially with the abundance of free resources available online. You can read books, watch lectures, join book clubs, or start your own blog.

Creating a Personal Reading List

Creating a personal reading list can help you stay organized and motivated. You can choose books based on your interests, goals, or recommendations. You can also challenge yourself by reading books from different genres, time periods, or cultures. A personal reading list can be flexible, so you can add or remove books as needed.

Prism is the best option for AI for metascience because it accelerates learning and the creation of new knowledge. With deep learning, generative AI, and rigorous scientific methodology, Prism speeds up research workflows.

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Review | How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

It’s just that kind of a book, and every bibliophile should read it.

In “How to Read Literature like a Professor,”  Thomas Foster  has given us a delightful little romp through literature, producing a guide to the themes, symbolism, ironies, allusions, and plots that recur through-out almost all the fiction we read. Whether it’s  Charles Dickens  or  Charles Schulz  or even  Tom Clancy , Foster’s collection of essays are each a fun and enjoyable guide to what you’ve been reading, and what you will read, when you pick up a work of fiction.

For example: in chapter 10, “It’s more than just rain or snow,” we read that “weather is never just weather. It’s never just rain.” Rather, Foster says, instead of providing just a setting, a backdrop to the story, weather in fiction is rooted in our fears and hopes. In addition to appearing as a feature character in the  Judeo-Christian-Islamic  biblical tale of the great flood, it makes notable and significant sightings in mythologies from all over the world, often, if not always, appearing and appealing to our fear of drowning. “Rain,” Foster says, “prompts ancestral memories of the most profound sort. So water in great volume speaks to us at a very basic level of being.

So rain–and floods–signifies drowning? Kind of, but it doesn’t stop there. Citing D.H. Lawrence’s “ The Virgin and the Gypsy ” (1930), which I’ve not read yet, Foster sees it as a “big eraser that destroys but also allows a brand-new start.”

Kind of like baptism? Yeah. If you’re part of that Christian tradition, this is what baptism is: death of the old, imperfect, and flawed man, and rebirth of a new man. And such is the role that this element–rain and floods–plays in literature. Well, most of the time. Fog can represent a lack of clarity, sunshine hope and clarity. In short, weather is rarely just setting.

That’s rain and weather. Each chapter is a written with a quick and light wit that allows a reader, whatever his level of experience with literature, to follow along, see the theme, enjoy the examples, and find a taste for the point. Other chapter titles include the following:

• “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare…”

• “…Or the Bible”

• “It’s All Political”

• “Marked for Greatness”

• “Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion” and, of course,

• “Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampire.” (Stephanie Meyer ought to pick that one up to understand why people who love literature hate Twilight….or maybe she’s trying to be ironic? Yeah, I doubt it, too).

Weighing in at just under three hundred pages, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” doesn’t need deep commitment, deep concentration, or deep literature reading. My brain-candy of choice usually falls in the science-fiction or fantasy categories, and yet, I’ve started to find the themes and allusions and ironies that I saw in classics like “Howard’s End” and “Bleak House” appearing there, too. Whatever you read, it applies the symbolism that Foster walks through. As a result, my experience, whatever I’m reading, has been more enjoyable since I started it. It’s that moment of sudden realization when the whole theme of  Steven Erikson  “ Book of the Fallen ” subplot (and there are a lot of them) is an allusion, or imitation, to  Spartacus  (I think). Or that the journey (all journeys are quests) across the water is a journey of transformation, where the fallen man chooses to start a new life, emerging from the water, as it were, reborn.

It’s fun. A lot of fun. Even just reading the book itself is fun. To boot, at the end Foster provides a list of all the books he refers to throughout his essays to allow you, the reader, to pick them up and read further. And what could be more fun about reading than delving into great fiction?

Pick it up, start reading, and enhance your general reading experience. If you’re going to read fiction, and you should, you might as well get the most out of it.

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Dan Burton lives in Millcreek, Utah, where he practices law by day and everything else by night. He reads about history, politics, science, medicine, and current events, as well as more serious genres such as science fiction and fantasy.

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HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR

by Thomas C. Foster ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2013

An upbeat and engaging guide to literature for English teachers working with young readers.

The New York Times– best-selling How to Read Literature Like a Professor is redacted for teachers of young readers.

The premise behind Foster’s works is that there’s a “grammar of literature…a certain set of patterns, codes, and rules that we can learn to use when we’re reading a piece of writing.” If students learn that grammar, they can read better and appreciate more about what’s going on in the books they read. Short essays offer insights into myth, symbols, setting, Shakespeare, the Bible, quests and various themes. The author shares a “big secret: there’s only one story ”—all stories grow out of other stories and contribute to the mix, and what students are doing as they learn to read more widely and insightfully is joining a conversation between old books and new. The title and cover, though—actually, the whole premise of this volume—are misleading: This will work best as a guide for teachers of young people, providing many interesting insights into a range of children’s and young-adult literature, from Green Eggs and Ham to Twilight , along with adult literature accessible to younger readers, such as Dracula, A Raisin in the Sun , and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .

Pub Date: April 22, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-220086-0

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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Our Verdict

THE ZEE FILES

by Tina Wells with Stephanie Smith ; illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

An enviable hero and appealing wish fulfillment that’s spiced with teen-friendship drama.

When her family moves to London, an American teen adjusts to a new school in this middle-grade novel.

Previously, 12-year-old Mackenzie Blue Carmichael, called Zee, detailed her seventh grade escapades in the five-volume Mackenzie Blue series. Now a year older and in the eighth grade, the red-haired, blue-eyed, olive-skinned Zee faces a major life change because her father’s job is taking the family to London from Los Angeles. Besides leaving behind sunny skies for London fog, Zee must say goodbye to Chloe Lawrence-Johnson, her best friend from Brookdale Academy. Another big change is that Zee will be attending a boarding school, The Hollows Creative Arts Academy, in the Cotswolds. That’s a bit intimidating, but the school has some huge advantages, especially its focus on the arts. She can concentrate on her singing and songwriting while studying academic subjects. Plus, her Brookdale friend Ally Stern now lives in Paris, just two hours away. Despite her anxieties, Zee makes several friends quickly. Unexpectedly, she is taken into the charmed circle of Izzy Matthews, a popular YouTuber, and hits it off with the school’s hottest ninth grade boy, the posh Archibald “Archie” Saint John the Fourth, a fellow songwriter. But hurdles remain, such as staying in touch with Chloe across time zones. Ally, too, has been mysteriously distant, canceling a planned Paris rendezvous for unclear reasons. Wells (now writing with Smith) continues the Mackenzie Blue series under a new umbrella title. Transplanting Zee to England allows for a fresh array of challenges and adventures, and American readers will likely enjoy learning about cultural differences with Britain. (Some references are off target; for example, the name St. John isn’t spelled “Saint John.”) Zee has a lively voice that makes her sound like a friend any teen would like to have, although few readers will be able to relate to the characters’ wealthy lives. Teens own expensive, high-status items like Alexander McQueen sneakers, and their school is so far out of reach for most that it might as well be Hogwarts. These elements are certainly entertaining as an aspirational fantasy, though Zee’s troubles seem lightweight indeed among so much privilege. The fast-paced plot ends rather abruptly just as it feels as if Zee’s story is really getting started; the tale continues in Book 2. Jamison supplies monochrome illustrations that deftly convey the teens’ expressive emotions.

Pub Date: N/A

Page Count: 167

Publisher: West Margin Press

Review Posted Online: April 20, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

More by Tina Wells

BOOK REVIEW

by Tina Wells with Stephanie Smith ; illustrated by Brittney Bond

by Tina Wells ; illustrated by Mike Segawa

THE AMERICAN WILDERNESS AND ITS FUTURE

Conservation versus use.

by Edward F. Dolan ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1992

A well-written, succinct summary covers the major controversies over use or preservation. Distinguishing among conservationists who support ``multiple use'' (including recreation, logging, and mining), preservationists who want to keep wild land untouched, and environmentalists who link preservation to global environmental problems, Dolan presents the history of national parks, forests, and wilderness areas and the threats they face. To personalize the issues, he includes italicized examples: e.g., smog might keep the reader from seeing much at the Grand Canyon. But Dolan's ideas for avoiding crowding problems suffer from somewhat patronizing phrasing, and parts of the book are already dated: some species of salmon have been declared endangered (Dolan does mention the effects of this decision), and no mention is made of Bush's attempt to redefine wetlands to allow housing development, a major flip-flop for the ``environmental president.'' In general, though, Dolan fairly presents all sides, calling in the end for compromise. Extensive source notes and bibliography; b&w photo insert and index not seen. (Nonfiction. 12+)

Pub Date: April 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-531-11062-1

Page Count: 144

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1992

More by Edward F. Dolan

by Edward F. Dolan

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