The New Rules of High School [Hardcover]

Blake Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2003

I had thought there was a lot of freedom being a good student, being trusted, being given special privileges, but that was nothing compared to the freedom I felt now. Once people gave up on you, once people wrote you off, now that was freedom.

Max Caldwell is tired. He's tired of having a "perfect" girlfriend, he's tired of worrying about college applications, and he's tired of always doing what he's supposed to do. So for the first time, dependable, reliable Max steps back from his Mr. Perfect, straight-A life to see what happens when he lets go for a while. He learns quickly that his new approach to life won't bring all the answers, but it sure raises a lot of interesting questions. This fast-paced novel introduces a fantastic cast of characters, from downtown Goth kids to preppy suburbanites, seen through the eyes of a seventeen-year-old who's trying to figure it all out.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-Max heads toward his senior year with everything he could ever want: he's been named editor-in-chief of the newspaper and debate-team captain, he has great grades, and a beautiful girlfriend. Life gets a little out of whack when the overachiever breaks up with Cindy for no apparent reason. The taste of freedom is sweet for a while but things get complicated when an overbearing, boy-crazy freshman throws herself at him at a party and conveniently lands a job as columnist on the school paper. Her controversial column, "The New Rules of High School," puts the Owl's popularity over the top, forcing Max into an uncomfortable mentorship. As the year progresses, this relationship improves as other friendships suffer through Max's growing pains. Largely dialogue driven, the story evolves from various characters' interactions and conversations with Max. His younger sister, Drea, is the information maven, not only for her own grade but for the high school as well, and she takes on an amusing role as her brother's romantic advisor. Whether Max is grieving over his breakup or testing the waters of singledom, readers are empathetic to his emotional vulnerability. The novel involves a wide variety of high school types-the punks, nerds, jocks, etc.-and successfully reflects the ambivalence in which they coexist. The teenage voice is dead-on, and Max pulls readers by the hand, right into his world, without missing a beat.
Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Readers of Nelson's adult novel Girl (1994) will recognize the premise and setting of his latest effort: a restless Portland, Oregon, teenager at the end of high school struggles through social minefields. In this novel, the narrator is a boy: Max Caldwell, a straight-A student and school-paper editor who breaks up with his longtime girlfriend without really understanding why and then launches into a period of confusion about school and social life. "I still have the vague feeling that something really profound happened during that year," says Max, and many readers will come away with the same feeling about the book. Max's voice is detached and not particularly likable, his problems are mundane, and he seems to have grown very little by the novel's end. Even so, there's a refreshing honesty in his "averageness" and in his bewildered disconnection, particularly when he loses his virginity. High-achieving students may question whether Max's voice and lifestyle really belong to a Yale-bound kid, but many teens will recognize the book's rapid dialogue, school politics, and the young man's wandering, often painful ambivalence. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (June 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670036447
• ISBN-13: 978-0670036448
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,289,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, OR. He attended Wesleyan University and NYU.

He began his career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine. His first novel GIRL, was serialized in SASSY Magazine and was made into a film starring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.

Nelson has since published ten more novels, including ROCKSTAR SUPERSTAR and THE NEW RULES OF HIGH SCHOOL, PROM ANONYMOUS and GENDER BENDER.

His science fiction novel THEY CAME FROM BELOW was a Kliatt Editors Choice pick in 2008 and his 2006 novel PARANOID PARK was made into a film by Gus Van Sant which won the Cannes Special Anniversary Prize Award in 2006, as well as Italy's Grinzane Literary award.

His latest book DESTROY ALL CARS has been praised as "Smart and entertaining" by the New York Times, and was called "A wonderful novel" by the Los Angeles Times.

His novel RECOVERY ROAD was released in March of 2011. His newest novel, DREAM SCHOOL, the sequel to GIRL, is being released in December, 2011 from Figment.

Figment is a web site for teens and young adults to create, discover, and share new reading and writing. Whatever you're into, from sci-fi to sonnets, you can find it all at www.figment.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars high school..., September 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Rules of High School (Hardcover)

this is my first blake nelson's book and i am not disappointed. As i read through this book, somehow i'm connected.
the author really put this book in perspective and i enjoyed it alot.
at the beginning of the book, i was a little bored but after i got into the middle part, i couldn't put it down because it just seemed too realistic as if i go to Evergreen high school.
overall, i think it is a great book to read but not good for book reports.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for teens, young people, or just about anyone, June 15, 2004

By 

"swim901" (Shrewsbury, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Rules of High School (Hardcover)

I absolutely loved "The New Rules of High School." The wide variety of characters, with contrasting, but unique and very real and developed personalities made this book a must read. The plot is somewhat simple, but so very compelling. This book follows the main character,Max through his senior year of high school. During this he struggles to define himself as an individual after his breakup with a longtime girlfriend. The story of Max is very believable and readers will be able to easily connect with one or more of the characters in the book. Max's struggles throughout the story seem common and are very real. This story is a real page turner and you will not be able to put it down until you have finished it. I loved this book and can not to read more works by this author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for teens, young people, or just about anyone, June 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Rules of High School (Hardcover)

I absolutely loved "The New Rules of High School." The wide variety of characters, with contrasting, but unique and very real and developed personalities made this book a must read. The plot is somewhat simple, but so very compelling. This book follows Max through a year of his life, while he struggles to define himself after his breakup with a longtime girlfriend. The story of Max is very believable and readers will be able to easily connect with one or more of the characters in the book. This story is a real page turner and you will not be able to put it down until you have finished it. I loved this book and can not to read more works by this author.