Read Me Like a Book - Hardcover

Kessler, Liz

  • 3.45 out of 5 stars
    2,116 ratings by Goodreads
 
9780763681319: Read Me Like a Book

Synopsis

In her first novel for young adults, New York Times best-selling author Liz Kessler tells a story about finding a kindred spirit and becoming your true self.

Ashleigh Walker is a mediocre student with an assortment of friends, a sort-of boyfriend, and no plans for the future. Then a straight-from-college English teacher, Miss Murray, takes over Ash’s class and changes everything. Miss Murray smiles a lot. She shares poetry with curse words in it. She’s, well, cool. And she seems to really care about her students. About Ashleigh. For the first time, Ash feels an urge to try harder. To give something — someone — her best. Before she knows it, Ashleigh is in love. Intense, heart-racing, all-consuming first love. It’s strong enough to distract her from worrying about bad grades and her parents’ marriage troubles. But what will happen if Miss Murray finds out Ashleigh is in love with her?

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About the Author

Liz Kessler is the author of the best-selling Emily Windsnap series, the Philippa Fisher series, and the middle-grade novels North of Nowhere, A Year Without Autumn, and Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins? She lives in Cornwall, England.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Ashleigh is entering her sixth-form year, and her life is in chaos. There are fights at home, her best friend has grown distant, and there's a possibility that she might have a real boyfriend for the first time. The strangest thing of all is that she's beginning to care about school, and it's all thanks to her English teacher, Miss Murray. Kessler has written about how this, her first novel, sat in a drawer unpublished for 15 years due to UK government restrictions on publishing gay and lesbian content for children and young adults. And it shows. This book feels dated, despite a veneer of modern references and technology. The writing does not feel vital, even when Ashleigh is discovering her sexual identity and her obsession with her teacher. For young Anglophiles, this look into British teen life will be welcome, but for those not already versed in British culture, the differences are stark and difficult to parse, including the mechanics of secondary schooling, attitudes toward drinking, and important class signifiers. VERDICT An additional purchase.—L. Lee Butler, Hart Middle School, Washington, DC

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