Dear Life, You Suck

By age seventeen, Cricket Cherpin who is not only the oldest charge in a Catholic boys' orphanage but also swiftly approaching adulthood is surly, jaded, and world-weary. Having flouted the legal age of accountability for years, he has—time after time—thwarted even the merest thought of preparing for a future in which he would even remotely be considered a viable part of society. Believing that the few options available to him are solely comprised of a future as a professional boxer, drug dealer, or corpse, he finds the latter increasingly intriguing. Fortunately, Wynona Bidaban’s stepping into his world causes him to think that possibly life doesn't completely suck. Cherpin is a hard character to love. Frequently, the reader finds herself wanting to tell him to “man up” and “just deal,” and yet he worms his way into her heart. Readers who like Julie Halpern’s Get Well Soon and Have a Nice Day will find Anna Bloom’s male counterpart in this protagonist—albeit one who is situated in a world that does not allude to the Wheedonverse.

Dear Life, You Suck by Scott Blagden
Secondary
Harcourt
310pp.
2013
978-0-547-90431-3
$16.99
Realistic

Comments

Notes From the Field: Waltz Across Texas, First Dance

Originally published August 1, 2024 Library Developments Blog | Library Development and Networking Division Texas State Library and Archives Commission In July, I kicked off the first in a series of day-long turns around clusters of small public libraries to tour their spaces and chat about how the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) can best support their leadership. This round, the fancy feet of Continuing Education and Consulting Team Manager Katherine Adelberg accompanied me as we spun through New Braunfels Public Library, Seguin Public Library, and Martindale Community Library. New Braunfels Public Library New Braunfels is perched on the brink of the Hill Country, right between San Antonio and Austin on I-35. Spanning Comal and Guadalupe counties with its 105,000 residents, it’s not only one of the fastest-growing cities, but is also regarded as one of the best 50 places to live in the United States. Established in 1845, New Braunfels is known for its German...

Growing Library Leaders With Google Education Trainer Certification

At the Texas Association of School Library Administrators (TASLA) Workshop on June 14, 2016, I was part of a five-part panel presentation that focused on how campus librarians can become library leaders even though they are not library administrators. This presentation was later featured on TASL Talk s as a series titled “Growing Library Leaders.” Become a Certified Google Education Trainer grew out of my portion of the presentation and was originally published September 8, 2016. On April 10, 2018, it was re-posted on the Round Rock Independent School District's Teaching & Learning Blog Librarians have always been at the forefront of information technology, even if we haven’t always had that reputation. Be it in tablets, scrolls, codices, microforms, or databases, we’ve always gone where the information is in order to find answers. Unfortunately, as mere access to information has taken center stage, school libraries run the risk of becoming a Starbucks-without-the-cof...

My path to becoming a “Comics Librarian” and why you should join YART!

As a freshly-minted librarian, I was hired to serve at THE high school bearing my district’s name alongside an amazingly zany, veteran librarian who knew the current collection inside and out as she’d been the one to revitalize it with bond money just prior to my arrival. To say that I was intimidated about what I could possibly have to contribute is more than an understatement. So when the moment of truth arrived and I was handed a “small” purchase order to get my feet wet, I. Was. Stymied! Her fingerprints were all throughout that collection, and what she didn’t read our assistant did . How would I ever fit into this team?! What could I possibly contribute?! To be honest, I was just beginning to read YA lit regularly. Luckily, near the end of grad school, I’d discovered comics and graphic novels. My then-language-arts-teacher heart fell in love with graphic storytelling, the ways that it attracts readers, and its potential to support literacy efforts. Unluckily, I didn’t know much ab...

CET Writes

Search This Blog