I liked the interwoven stories and that they're from a HS in Chicago. ( )

A year in the life look at a several different students at Walter Payton High School. The book is organized by month of the school year and includes vignettes about what is happening in each of the profiled students' lives. The seniors and a junior in high school deal with family issues, school pressures, college decisions, sports seasons, money, relationships - the whole gamut of problems and decisions facing American teens.
There are sketches interspersed in the text which didn't advance the story but broke up the text. At times the omniscience voice bothered me and wondering if the author really got that level of insight into the lives of the profiled teens. And at times the quick pace left me feeling as if these characters were "types" rather than actual teens. I wondered how well this book would play to the teen audience or if it was more suited for adults wanting to get insight into the modern teen experience.
I left the book wanting a where are they now section or to see pictures of these students I had imagined in my mind. ( )

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Walking through the hallways of Walton Payton High School are a very selectively diverse group of students. Like its location, the students are all from different worlds but come together in one place. Out of the entire school, eight students stand out the most, in more ways than one.

First there is Anais, the dancer. Dancing is obviously her life, spending every day going to dance practice, hoping that one day she will be able to attend Julliard.

Then there is Daniel, the school's class president who is all business when it comes to academics and his future, not one to stand by stereotypes that people have against him because of his race.

Next is Emily, the girl's soccer captain since she was a junior. She doesn't fool around on or off the field.

Maya is the actress, always in every school play. Her acting is the only way she can shake off her little spasms and her OCD-ish routines.

Diana is very proper and polite. And also very smart, although she never shows it. Never talking in class, even though she knows the answers, she keeps to herself, having only one true friend since the other one left.

Aisha is the new girl, transferring from her last school located in Florida. She knows that this is only for a year, since her parents move all the time, so why make friends?

Zef is odd, and he knows it and isn't ashamed of it. Loving the sound of his own music and talking to himself, for some reason students are intrigued and are drawn to him.

And last but not least is Anthony. His comfort zone is located in only one place in the school, the cafeteria.

Some know what they want to accomplish this year, like becoming the best leader the school has ever seen or taking their time to achieve levels that they have never seen before, while others aren't so sure what their outcome will be. One thing they do have in common is college. Whether or not it's for them or not and whether or not they will get into the college they so desperately need to escape to.

Inserted details of what goes on during school hours, from who sits where to the appropriate acknowledgements to old friends, gives this non-fiction account an extra sense of reality, which coincides with the lives of eight very different teens. Captivating and unique, Elisha Cooper manages to write a true account that can tell a story so raw and so real. ( )

About: Cooper follows 8 students for a year in a Chicago high school. With each chapter chronicling one month of relationships, sports, classes, college applications, the prom and graduation. Sketches accompany the text.

Pros: Writing is good. Epilogue is a nice touch.

Cons: Rapid-fire swutches between students and short length of book make it hard to really "get to know" any of them. ( )

Elisha Cooper spent a year making observations and interviewing kids at Walter Payton College Prep, a high school in Chicago. Through the course of a year, he got to know eight students with completely different backgrounds and interests. There's Daniel, student body president and aiming for Harvard; Zef, insomniac musician with a Starbucks addiction; Diana, Latina swimmer with family troubles; and Maya, fidgety actress extraordinaire (among others). As the year goes on, the students grow and change. They adjust their goals for their future. They excel in school or flunk their classes. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse of life through these students' eyes. Some I could identify with, others were a totally new experience. Hand this one to fans of The Freedom Writers' Diary. ( )