{"id":1784,"date":"2015-05-10T15:00:06","date_gmt":"2015-05-10T22:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=1784"},"modified":"2015-06-15T16:46:51","modified_gmt":"2015-06-15T23:46:51","slug":"lessons-i-never-learned-at-meadowbrook-academy-teen-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2015\/lessons-i-never-learned-at-meadowbrook-academy-teen-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy — teen review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Review by Hadley, teen reviewer<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy<\/em> by Liz Maccie<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Roberta Romano is not as excited as a girl should be when her family gives her the opportunity to take a step up from her two-star public high school to the prestigious Meadowbrook Academy. Despite the fact that she did not have the bet experience at West Orange High, she is adamant she stays, though her reasons are not incredibly turnabout-invoking. Her mother reinforces the idea that this change will get her away from bad influences and help her get her grades back up.<\/p>\n

The truth is, Roberta knows that Meadowbrook is a school for rich kids. Her family struggles to get by every day, and she believes that she does not belong at a school like this. Insecure about her family\u2019s money situation, and urged on by her relentless mother, she finds herself at the steps of the academy. \u00a0Roberta\u2019s first day of sophomore year is told in less than 200 pages. Over the course of the day, she finds herself in plenty of sticky situations with potential new friends and school staff members. She finds herself in deep with a cute boy in her grade named Thaddeus, but due to choice events, she learns that she should spend her time with friends that count: two other fellow awkward kids named Mervin and Annie. Together, the three of them have their fair share of cringeworthy moments, but learn a valuable lesson in friendship.<\/p>\n

This book is hard to explain, given it takes place over the course of one day, twelve hours at most, and any little detail could give away the whole story. Overall, I found this book to be good, but not necessarily great. \u00a0The story does not grab your attention and hold it for very long. The idea of switching schools itself is quite overused, so I was waiting for something to make this story\u00a0one-of-a-kind. There is a big buildup for an event we know is coming, and in the end, I did not find it to be completely satisfying. The story revolves around the anticipation of this one particular moment, and when I got there, I didn’t see the fireworks.<\/p>\n

However, Lessons<\/em> manages to redeem itself with the lesson it gives on friendship. Roberta dreads facing the students of the academy, for fear of financial inferiority leading to social difficulties. Fortunately, she manages to snatch two good friends who seem to be on her same wavelength: Mervin and Annie. Over the course of the novel, they learn to open up to each other and face tough issues together, evolving as characters in the process. The best point in the story is that friends will help you through dark times.<\/p>\n

Though this book teaches good friendship values, it still misses something to make it really pop. If you are looking for a quick read for a car trip or a rainy day, this is your book. 3 stars. \u00a0–Hadley, teen reviewer<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

Find the book in our catalog: \u00a0Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Review by Hadley, teen reviewer Lessons I Never Learned at Meadowbrook Academy by Liz Maccie Roberta Romano is not as excited as a girl should be when her family gives her the opportunity to take a step up from her two-star public high school to the prestigious Meadowbrook Academy. Despite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/05\/lessons.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-sM","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1838,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2015\/pasadena-loves-ya-part-1\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":0},"title":"Pasadena Loves YA: THANK YOU","author":"Jane Gov","date":"June 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Uniting fans and authors... On Saturday, May 23,\u00a0twenty Young Adult authors and nearly 450 guests gathered at the second annual teen book festival, Pasadena Loves YA at Pasadena Central Library. The keynote speaker was Mary McCoy, author of\u00a0Dead to Me\u00a0(and a teen librarian at Los Angeles Public Library). \u00a0All authors\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Events"","block_context":{"text":"Special Events","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/programs-and-events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/06\/plyatote.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/06\/plyatote.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2015\/06\/plyatote.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4932,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/light-years-teen-review-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":1},"title":"Light Years — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"December 29, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"review by\u00a0Ashley Z, age 13 Light Years\u00a0by\u00a0Kass Morgan \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The book Light Years\u00a0is told from the perspectives of Vesper, Cormak, Arran, and Orelia, all from different planets in the solar system. They are all accepted in to the Quatra Fleet Academy, the most prestigious school in the entire solar system, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2018\/12\/light-years.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3663,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/an-ember-in-the-ashes-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":2},"title":"An Ember In The Ashes–teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"February 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jacob Chon, grade 9 An Ember in the Ashes\u00a0by Sabaa Tahir \u00a0 Summary:\u00a0Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/02\/Ember-in-the-Ashes.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3282,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2016\/the-house-of-scorpion-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":3},"title":"The House of Scorpion — teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"November 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Jacob Chon, grade 9 The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer Summary: For many years the Scholar nation has been controlled and abused by the Martial Empire. \u00a0A young Scholar named Laia is forced to watch her grandparents killed and her brother jailed for drawing weapons. \u00a0She flees\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2016\/09\/houe-of-scorpion-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5187,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2019\/deep-dark-blue-a-memoir-of-survival-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":4},"title":"Deep Dark Blue: A Memoir of Survival — Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"October 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Nina Dinan, 16 Deep Dark Blue: A Memoir of Survival\u00a0By Polo Tate Polo Tate arrived at the U.S. Air Force Academy with a mentality that fed off challenges. She was a highly successful student-athlete who quickly rose to the physical and mental demands of the academy. She was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2019\/09\/51CcyF-x3HL._SX324_BO1204203200_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1536,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2015\/love-and-other-theories-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":1784,"position":5},"title":"Love and Other Theories — teen review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"February 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Review by Hadley, teen reviewer Love and Other Theories by Alexis Bass Love is just a myth, a game, a theory to Aubrey Housing and her three best friends, Shelby, Danica, and Melissa. The four of them have come up with a set of guidelines to help them live the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Teen Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Teen Reviews","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/category\/teen-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"http:\/\/www.syndetics.com\/index.aspx?type=xw12&isbn=0062275321\/LC.GIF&client=pasap&upc=&oclc=","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1784"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1935,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784\/revisions\/1935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1948"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}