We Regret to Inform You by Ariel Kaplan

I have some mixed opinions about the YA novel WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU by Ariel Kaplan. This is a story of Mischa Abramavicius, a scholarship student at a prep school, who has joined tons of clubs and worked hard for excellent grades and test scores, all to get into a selective college. Her friends accomplish that goal with surprising ease, but she receives rejection letters not only from her reach schools, but also from her local safety school. WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU certainly evokes a variety emotions and overachievers will find themselves in this novel, but may also have a hard time reading parts of it. I think the best fit is likely to be with Freshmen and Sophomores despite their distance from the college application process. My biggest disappointment was the absence of any really empathy from adults. Was Mischa so narrowly focused that she had failed to develop a supportive relationship with a teacher or club sponsor?  Just recently, The New York Times published an opinion piece about how important that is at the college level and we stress that for our students, too.

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU has some funny moments, a light romance, and a fairly fast pace. The mystery aspect builds as some female STEM club members attempt to find out who has been altering transcripts. Readers will benefit from the reminders about how easily online accounts, include email, may be hacked and how little online privacy exists. In addition, Mischa and her friends, especially Nate, offer several wise observations as she tries to figure out who she really is:

“At any point in your life, you are two people.  There’s the Mischa you think you are, and then there’s the Mischa everyone else sees…. who gets you into college, or not. That’s the one who applies for jobs, and mortgages, and gets written about in the paper.”  or

“What would you have done differently? …. I would have had fun …. More fun, I guess. I wouldn’t have joined twenty clubs I don’t care about and studied very minute.” or

“You can see what all our struggles are worth.  They have exactly as much meaning as we give them, and not one bit more.”

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU was given a starred review by Kirkus and by VOYA. I am also looking forward to reading Kaplan’s debut, Grendel’s Guide to Love and War, which received multiple starred reviews.

Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone

LITTLE DO WE KNOW by award-winning author Tamara Ireland Stone is an emotional and compelling young adult novel that explores faith, doubt and relationships. High school Seniors Hannah and Emory were inseparable best friends until a traumatic event, a huge fight and some uncomfortable truths drive them apart. Hannah has been raised to embrace her Christian faith and trust her parents’ guidance – her Dad is the principal of her faith-based high school, but she starts to question her faith and becomes infatuated with a teacher at the school, reflecting her vulnerability and immaturity. Emory is driven and focused on her acting career, applying to UCLA, and on her intimate relationship with boyfriend Luke. When Luke undergoes a near death experience and turns to religion while questioning his own values, an even greater tension develops between Hannah and Emory. Alternating narrators, Stone seeks to develop realistic, relatable characters who care for each other while also being self-centered and immersed in their own issues. LITTLE DO WE KNOW respectfully explores the questions of faith which teens often face, with one character noting “I think the world would be a better place if people stopped every once in a while and questioned everything they thought they knew.” In addition, Stone deftly prompts readers to examine inappropriate relationships and actions since both young women are let down by men in their lives.  

Booklist recommends LITTLE DO WE KNOW to “readers looking for a nuanced treatment of religion;” this title received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.