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The title of this book is The Year of Secret Assignments*, written by Jaclyn Moriarty. So why is this post titled '********'? Because that's what stood out to me uniquely in the actual book title.
So I think Australian young adult literature is my new favorite genre. Mainly because there's enough pop culture crossover to be funny to me when the author alludes to things, but there's also many differences in our cultures that stay in the book and make it more interesting. Like how it's not a big deal if the kids in this book drink. Wow, Australian parents must be... um... INSANELY COOL.
So more in particular, this book was about three girls, Lydia, Emily, and Cassie.
Cassie is recovering from the loss of her father, Lydia aspires to be a writer but doesn't know if she can, and Emily is... Emily. *ahem* When their English teacher gives them the assignment of becoming pen pals with students from the rival school, they write very apprehensively. What they don't know is that they each got paired up with a DUDE!
Emily, who loves chocolate and shopping and filled her first letter with thoughts of these, gets Charlie, whose reply is mainly: "Um, do you want to write to my sister instead?" This starts an argument that leads into a grudging friendship.
Lydia writes complete and utter nonsense, including the fact that she is a fish. Her pen pal Sebastian writes back that he doesn't know if he can trust her, but after a while they meet in person through Lydia's Secret Assignment of seeing who can identify the other person first in a coffee shop. Insane, right? Wait till you see how that plotline turns out.
Cassie has the worst luck of all. She writes away not only to get an A on the pen pal assignment, but because her grief therapist told her to become friends wth a stranger and tell them all about herself. So she writes to this pen pal with the hopes that she can spill her guts and get their opinion. Instead, she gets death threats from a freak named Matthew Dunlop. But after these friends find out who Matthew Dunlop really is, the story's just getting started.
Also, did you want to know why the book is called The Year of SECRET ASSIGNMENTS*? Well... it's secret. Yes, you do find out in the book, this isn't one of those annoying books where the title meaning is hidden deep under layers of mindnumbing analysis, but you have to read to find it because it really makes you appreciate the book all that much more.
And the best part about this book is: it's told all through notes and journal entries and memos and emails! This isn't as tedious and confusing as it sounds. In fact, I usually forgot about the fact that it was letters these kids were writing and not a straight-out story. It's really good, and if I could keep this book and hide it away forever in my closet I would, but sadly it's a library book. ♠♠♠♠♠