10:00 tonight at the water tower. Tell no one. -Chaos ClubWhen Max receives a mysterious invite from the untraceable, epic prank-pulling Chaos Club, he has to ask: why him? After all, he's Mr. 2.5 GPA, Mr. No Social Life. He's Just Max. And his favorite heist movies have taught him this situation calls for Rule #4: Be suspicious. But it's also his one shot to leave Just Max in the dust...
Yeah, not so much. Max and four fellow students-who also received invites-are standing on the newly defaced water tower when campus security "catches" them. Definitely a setup. And this time, Max has had enough. It's time for Rule #7: Always get payback.
Let the prank war begin.
LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Indiebound | The Book Depository
Top 10 Shows You’ll Love If You Read YA
This topic is near and
dear to my heart because I was pretty much glued to the TV growing up. I don’t say this with any sort of
pride, especially now that I spend my days fighting to get my kids to stop
watching Netflix, but what I missed experiencing in the real world, I made up
for watching some absolutely fantastic TV shows that in one way or another
helped in the writing of DON’T GET CAUGHT. So here’s my Top Ten Shows You’ll Love If You Read YA.
1. Freaks and Geeks.
I start here because this
show is perfection. You get
Lindsay and her group of freak friends (read: the bad kids), and her brother,
Sam, and his group of geek friends, trying to maneuver the complicated world of
high school. The show many only be eighteen episodes long, but you know and
love those characters in that short time.
Even now I find myself wondering where those characters ended up. That’s the mark of a great show.
2. Gilmore Girls
Again, perfection. This is one of those shows you just
want to grab people by the collar and shout, “Wait! You’ve never watched
Gilmore Girls? Let me introduce
you to your new best friends!”
Lorelai, clearly the coolest mom ever, her daughter Rory, Luke, Miss
Patty, Lane, Sookie…I love all of them.
Stars Hollow is always my answer when asked what fictional town I want
to live in.
3. Veronica Mars
A smart-assed teenage
detective? Yes, please. Smart, funny, tense, and brilliantly
written. I want to write a YA
detective novel, but I’m not sure how anyone could ever improve on Veronica and
her friends.
4. My So-Called Life
Why do so many shows I
love only get one season? When it
came out it was a revolutionary, not just for the writing, but for the accurate
portrayal of teenage life. Claire Danes as fifteen-year-old Angela Chase is
probably the best acting I’ve ever seen by someone that age. (You do have to suffer through Jared
Leto singing “I Wanna Be Sedated” in one episode, but that’s the only painful
moment.)
5. Daria
A cartoon, yes, but the
intelligent, sarcastic, arty high school heroine character was perfected
here. That type of character may
show up in YA novel after YA novel these days, but this is where she got her
start. Funny, smart, honest, and
at times surprisingly heartfelt.
6. The Wonder Years
Kevin Arnold will always
be one of my fictional best friends.
This show follows him from ages 12-17, his life with his family, and his
tortured love for Winnie Cooper. It’s
a show that’s funny, honest, and difficult at times. Also, it has some great narration that really puts a stamp
on each episode. Hunt down the early
episode “Square Dance” and you’ll be hooked.
7. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
You’ve already seen this,
right? No? Then go barricade yourself in your room
with enough food for 144 episodes, skip work and/or school, and don’t come
outside until you’re finished. You
can thank me later. Yes, Buffy is
fighting vampires, monsters, and the like, but it’s really about the difficulties
of growing up and the importance of having really excellent friends.
8. Felicity
Before he went off to
create the also excellent Lost, and direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens, JJ
Abrams gave us Felicity, who in the series opener scraps all of her post-high
school plans and follows the hunky Ben to college. Great writing, great acting, and Keri Russell, who, yeah,
cuts her hair at the beginning of the second season causing the ratings to
plummet (no, seriously), but the show still remained stellar.
9. Friday Night Lights
This show about the town
of Dillon, Texas is about football in only the most roundabout way. It’s more about the adults and high
schoolers dealing with many issues in the world today. You’ll love these characters, and will no
doubt wish Coach Taylor and his wife, Tami, were your parents.
10. Square Pegs
Okay, full disclosure: I
haven’t seen this show since it premiered in 1982 when I was 11. But I loved it then because it was
about nerdy kids wanting to fit in. Critics say it’s a precursor to all of the fantastic John Hughes movies of the 80’s which I bow at the altar
at. It has a great theme song by
The Waitresses I can still sing 35 years later, Sarah Jessica Parker before she
became a big star, and an appearance by modern rock pioneers Devo. Do me a favor, watch it, then get back
to me and let me know if I’m wrong about this one.
I absolutely adorer your list! Fabulous! Thanks for stopping by!
Kurt Dinan is a high school English teacher living in Cincinnati. His debut novel, DON'T GET CAUGHT, will be released in April of 2016. He is represented by Kerry Sparks of LGR.
I actually haven't watched any of these shows before, except for a few episodes from Gilmore Girls. Sounds like Netflix and I have a date this weekend! :)
ReplyDeleteI loved The Wonder Years and Freaks and Geeks! I don't watch much TV anymore as lots of it is violent or "reality TV." Thanks for the warm memories today!
ReplyDelete