Not Here to Be Liked

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The Wall of Editors is the first thing I see every morning when I walk into Mr. Powell’s classroom for zero period. And every time, even if just for a second, I pause to admire it, reminding myself of what I’m working toward. Because here’s the truth—at Willoughby, when you make it into that lineup, it means you mattered. Like being school president, the other top position on campus, being editor in chief of the Bugle means becoming part of an institution. Even if you end up doing a totally worthless job, your spot in history will be preserved forever. You’ll always be able to say, Well, at least I made it on the wall. The last draft I have belongs to Natalie Weinberg, another sophomore. I scan the room to see if she’s here yet, and I spot her approaching Len’s corner. Which is a little odd.

I also enjoyed the representation when it came to Eliza's Chinese-Viet family and Len being half Japanese and how the history of both were talked about especially when it came to the wars and camps with what previous generations had to suffer through. With Eliza's family I feel like there was more potential for deeper meaningful talks with her mom, but I still enjoyed seeing her bond with her sister grow as the story went on. But yeah phew wow, I can't believe this was a debut novel, it's become an instant favorite and comfort that I definitely see myself rereading. I'm very much looking forward to any future works Quach has in store! I have to admit, I choose this story because the British publisher is Usborne (Hideous Beauty, Ace of Spades, The Outrage, The Guilded Ones). Their choice of books is always spot on. Solid writing, interesting topics, diverse characters. short version: it’s about feminism and has asian rep, so i really wanted to like it, but there were too many things that annoyed me. the characters are so bland and stereotypical that i genuinely can’t tell if this whole book is satire or not since none of them got any character development. the writing style was below bar in my opinion, none of the family drama is sought through and had way more potential, especially Eliza’s mom and sister, and even Len’s mom. the romance was very underwhelming for me too. I had to wonder, though, was it sexism or was it that Len was more popular? Should being popular be necessary to get ahead? Why is it that the top positions in their school remain so unequivocally male dominated? One of my favourite characters was Dr Guinn, the member of staff that both Eliza and Len manage to successfully talk around to get each other out of detentions. Dr Guinn understands how Eliza is feeling but points out that life isn't always fair. He sets out to get the two working together and as they do, Eliza starts falling for Len. The very last person she should fall for in light of her campaign.You heard about Len, though, right? Now her voice drops to a whisper, and before I can even open my mouth again, she rushes to add, You’re not worried about him, are you? Because you really shouldn’t be. Like, you’re way more qualified, and you have way more— She antagonized Len for winning an election democratically, fair and square. He had done nothing wrong, he was always nice to everyone including her. And she never apologized to him for the insults she posted online, for treating him badly, or for making him the bad guy.

Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12...Now my forehead really goes to town. Seriously? Our boy Leonard just joined the Bugle last year. I don’t know what he’s thinking, pulling this move, but it doesn’t change the very obvious fact that he’s greener than an apple Jolly Rancher. How women are held upto certain beauty standards. They’re told what is beautiful and what’s not and how they’re taught from the beginning that beauty is what matters the most, which is extremely sexist so I appreciated that being discussed. I ignore her and get into the passenger seat, drawing the door shut with one hand so I can keep texting with the other. This morning, as I linger there, wondering how long it would take my own portrait to start yellowing like the older ones, Cassie Jacinto skips over to join me. A reasonably competent Bugle staff photographer, she’s a sophomore with a big, bushy ponytail and a toothy smile secured with braces. Dapo Adeola, Tracy Darnton, Joseph Coelho and Chitra Soundar are among the 19 authors and illustrators longlisted for the Inclusive Books for Child...