You finally made it to senior year!  A year full of epic adventures, memorable events, and true friends that never desert you! You’ll be accepted into the college of your dreams with a full ride scholarship, and your besties are coming with you!  You’ve waited your whole life for this magical, wonderful year! 

You finally made it to senior year. College applications and essays are piled on top of your other homework. Sports seasons and activities fly by in a blur and are over before you know it. Your friends are all headed to different colleges or jobs far away. You’ve waited your whole life for this stressful, nightmare year?

So which is true?  Both! (Of course.)  If you want books that capture the magic and heartache of senior year, check out these reads…

 “The Disenchantments” by Nina LaCour

“Colby and Bev have a long-standing pact: graduate, hit the road with Bev’s band, and then spend the year wandering around Europe. But moments after the tour kicks off, Bev makes a shocking announcement: she’s abandoning their plans – and Colby – to start college in the fall.

But the show must go on and The Disenchantments weave through the Pacific Northwest, playing in small towns and dingy venues, while roadie- Colby struggles to deal with Bev’s already-growing distance and the most important question of all: what’s next?”

Book description and cover image provided by the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305909/the-disenchantments-by-nina-lacour/

“The Kidney Hypothetical” by Lisa Yee

“Higgs Boson Bing has seven days left before his perfect high school career is completed. Then it’s on to Harvard to fulfill the fantasy portrait of success that he and his parents have cultivated for the past four years. Four years of academic achievement. Four years of debate championships. Two years of dating the most popular girl in school. It was, literally, everything his parents could have wanted. Everything they wanted for Higgs’s older brother Jeffrey, in fact.

But something’s not right. And when Higgs’s girlfriend presents him with a seemingly innocent hypothetical question about whether or not he’d give her a kidney . . . the exposed fault lines reach straight down to the foundations of his life. . . “

Book description and cover image  provided by the book’s  publisher, Scholastic Inc. https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/the-kidney-hypothetical-9780545230940.html

“The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life” by Tara Altebrand

“An all-day scavenger hunt in the name of eternal small-town glory

With only a week until graduation, there’s one last thing Mary and her friends must do together: participate in the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt. And Mary is determined to win.

Mary lost her spot at Georgetown to self-professed “it” bully Jake Barbone, and she’s not about to lose again. But everyone is racing for the finish line with complicated motives, and the team’s all-night adventure becomes all-night drama as shifting alliances, flared tempers, and crushing crushes take over. As the items and points pile up, Mary and her team must reinvent their strategy–and themselves–in order to win.”

Book description and cover image provided by the book’s publisher, Penguin Random House

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306661/the-best-night-of-your-pathetic-life-by-tara-altebrando/

“Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee,” by Jeff Zentner

“Every Friday night, best friends Delia and Josie become Rayne Ravenscroft and Delilah Darkwood, hosts of the campy creature feature show Midnite Matinee on the local cable station TV Six. 

But with the end of senior year quickly approaching, the girls face tough decisions about their futures. Josie has been dreading graduation, as she tries to decide whether to leave for a big university and chase her dream career in mainstream TV. And Lawson, one of the show’s guest performers, a talented MMA fighter with weaknesses for pancakes, fantasy novels, and Josie, is making her tough decision even harder. 

Scary movies are the last connection Delia has to her dad, who abandoned the family years ago. If Midnite Matinee becomes a hit, maybe he’ll see it and want to be a part of her life again. And maybe Josie will stay with the show instead of leaving her behind, too. As the tug-of-war between growing up and growing apart tests the bonds of their friendship, Josie and Delia start to realize that an uncertain future can be both monstrous…and momentous.”

Book description and cover image provided by the book’s publisher, Penguin Randomhouse.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/552640/rayne-and-delilahs-midnite-matinee-by-jeff-zentner/

“Golden Arm” by Carl Deuker

“Lazarus “Laz” Weathers has always been shy, and his issue with stuttering when he speaks hasn’t helped. Stuck in a Seattle trailer park, Laz finds baseball helps him escape from the world of poverty and drugs. When he gets an opportunity to pitch for the rich kids across town, he has a chance to get drafted by the major leagues.

But playing for the other team means leaving behind his family, including Antonio, Laz’s younger brother, who more and more, seems to be drawn to the dark world of the Jet City’s drug ring. Now Laz will have to choose between being the star pitcher he always dreamed of becoming and the team player his family needs.”

Book description and cover image provided by the book’s publisher, HarperCollins

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/golden-arm-carl-deuker?variant=39936012550178

“A Sense of the Infinite” by Hillary T. Smith

“It’s senior year of high school, and Annabeth is ready—ready for everything she and her best friend, Noe, have been planning and dreaming. But there are some things Annabeth isn’t prepared for, like the constant presence of Noe’s new boyfriend. Like how her relationship with her mom is wearing and fraying. And like the way the secret she’s been keeping hidden deep inside her for years has started clawing at her insides, making it hard to eat or even breathe.

But most especially, she isn’t prepared to lose Noe.

For years, Noe has anchored Annabeth and set their joint path. Now Noe is drifting in another direction, making new plans and dreams that don’t involve Annabeth. Without Noe’s constant companionship, Annabeth’s world begins to crumble. But as a chain of events pulls Annabeth further and further away from Noe, she finds herself closer and closer to discovering who she’s really meant to be—with her best friend or without.”

Book description and cover image provided by the book’s publisher, HarperCollins

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-sense-of-the-infinite-hilary-t-smith?variant=32207676702754

Happy Reading!