Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
Scott is a high school freshman who has just learned his mother is pregnant. He's also a high school freshman, and he details his life in a sort of how-to-survive-life narrative aimed at his future sibling. Dealing with moving past old friendships, making new friends, and romantic relationships, Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie covers a lot of ground.I enjoyed this book and think it has something nice to offer teens. It's not anything particularly original, but it's entertaining and interesting. Scott, the main character, is definitely unique, however, in that he loves books and reading and tries hard to share that passion with his friends and family.As an English language nerd, I loved the wordplay threaded throughout the narrative. I thought that it was clever and interesting, and definitely added to Scott's character. As someone who loves English, it makes sense that Scott would play with point of view, puns, metaphors, etc. when writing these letters/diary entries, and it's obvious that Lubar had a lot of fun with it. Sometimes, it's the little details that count, and this aspect of the story really helped me connect with Scott and envision him as a real person instead of a character.There were a few problems I had with this novel. For one, it was way too simplistic. I didn't at all agree with the way that suicide is handled here. As a real issue, I think that when it's brought up in a novel, it should be taken seriously. I don't mean that it should be the sole focus of the novel, but it should be handled with care and with full knowledge of the issue. Instead, it was more of a passing thing that I felt was only done to give Scott yet another conflict to deal with, and something less serious could have worked just as well. I don't think that it was handled realistically at all.Also, this is nitpicky, but why does Scott just give the seniors his lunch money? Because they're bigger? I didn't get this at all, and maybe my high school experience was vastly different from other people's, but this definitely wasn't a problem at my school.The narration is fantastic, as is to be expected in a Full Cast Audio production. (Seriously, I've never listened to Full Cast Audio that I haven't liked.) Ryan MacConnell does an excellent job in portraying the somewhat-dorky Scott and I loved the rest of the characters. Some of the music seems out of place -- I'm not sure why they picked jazz soundtracks to pair with this novel -- but the voice actors themselves are excellent.In the end, I liked the overall message against stereotyping. Scott is a hilarious, down-to-earth character who will charm readers, and the book has a hopeful view of high school life that will both entertain teens and teach them valuable lessons.
Scott hudson begins the next chapter in his life at J.P Zenger high school. First thing he notices is the sheer beauty of Julia Baskins. She had changed a lot over the summer and in Scott's opinion in a very good way. Scott spends every morning with a boy name Louden who's nickname is mouth because he talks way to much. Scott is disappointed when he has no classes with his 3 best friends Mitch, Kyle, and Patrick. Scott doesn't have any classes with his best friends because Scott is taking all level 1 courses and college prep classes. Scott finds that his favorite subject quickly becomes english and Mr. Franka becomes Scott's friend and favorite teacher. Scott tries effortlessly to get close to Julia. First Scott joins the school newspaper club because he believed that Julia was a writer, but after he joins he realizes that she was just a guest writer for one week. Scott becomes the sports writer. Scott runs for student council when he hears Julia is running. Scott wins a spot only to find out Julia lost her bid for freshmen council. Scott tries out for the play because Julia is trying out. Scott makes stage crew, but then his efforts are fruitless because Julia made neither stage crew or the cast. Then a new girl arrives at J.P Zenger. Her name is Lee. She wear wild clothes and he hair is bright vibrant colors, and her face is covered with piercings. Her and Scott bond over their love for literature. Meanwhile at Scott's house, Scott's brother Bobby is in and out of the house and struggling to find his place in the world. Bobby confides in Scott a big secret and his life. Who will Scott end up with? Whats Bobby's secret? Read the book to find out.t Things I liked about this book were how fun this book was to read. Once I started reading it I could not put it down! Another thing I liked was how relatable the book was. Some points in the book I read and I said to myself " Hey didn't this happen to me." One thing I didn't like about this book was that I would recommend this book for kids who enjoy a light, funny book. This book is easy to understand and is a fun read, With us being freshmen it is easy to relate to what Scott is experiencing. One thing I didn't like was how repetitive the book was it was just Scott trying to get Julia's attention through joining different activities that Julia ended up not belonging too. I would recommend this book to someone who wants a light, fun read. I would give this book 4/5 stars.
What do You think about Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (2007)?
A charming, witty, lighthearted but intelligent little novel. Despite being eighteen and in my senior year, this year is my first in a public high school as well, so I found Scott's experience oddly relatable in that (small) aspect. Scott's character was thoroughly likable. He's the writer I would have killed to be at his age, he's intelligent, and he actually has quite a lot of integrity and is fairly sweet. I loved all the literary allusions he made (Ender's Game, The Princess Bride, Tuck Everlasting, The Three Musketeers, Dragonflight, even one of Bruce Coville's books), and how he integrated what he was learning in English - first- vs. third-person point of view, and especially those Tom Swifties ("'I've been sliced in half!' Tom said intuitively.") - into his own narration. The author deals effectively with a lot of weightier themes (such as depression, teen suicide and hazing) throughout much of the novel without losing Scott's lighthearted tone. Some things were slightly exaggerated for humor's sake at times, but overall, still convincingly believable. Considering I generally shy away from contemporary fiction told from a teenage boy's point of view - no offense, but as an 18-year-old girl, I don't want to know what goes on in their head - this was far more enjoyable than I had been expecting. Clever and eminently humorous. If I had anyone to recommend it to, I would.
—Kiersten
I really enjoyed this book! It's about a freshman named Scotty and how he deals with the start if his "coming of age." Everyone has been there and let's face it-freshman year sucks! Finding where you fit in academically, socially, with your family; not to mention how horrible it is for your group of friends to change and disappear right before your very eyes. The major themes of friendship, acceptance, tolerance, and kindness have sold me on this book as a recommendation for students. There isn't really a major plot line, but that's ok because the plot really revolves around the evolution of Scott and the acceptance of himself. The lessons he learns are awesome, even though the reader sees them a lot sooner than Scott ever does. Finally, I adored the language that the author used to create such humor in the story. I laughed so hard my kids asked me how a book makes you laugh (they're 3 and 6)! I love the use of figurative language, the weaving of language arts concepts, and the "lists" Scott writes to the upcoming addition to his family!
—Danielle Bartos
This is the story of a Freshman named Scott, and what he goes through in his quest to get closer to a girl he likes. He is also dealing with the fact that his mom is having a baby, and he will now become the "middle" child. His brother was popular, but he is not. He is smart and his favorite subject is English. He likes to write, and throughout the book makes funny lists of things he observes. This was SO funny and well written. I enjoyed the fact that the character enjoys to read and also talks about the different, creative topics that he learns in English class.I would definately recommend this book. It is cleverly written and can really pique the interest of a student who might not be a fan of reading or English class. The realisic quality of the book, and the funny predicaments Scott goes through in trying to "get the girl" are hilarious.
—Shannon
