The Education of Hailey Kendrick

Gr 7—10—Senior Hailey Kendrick is student government vice-president at her exclusive boarding school and she dates the most popular boy at Evesham. All about impressing her high-powered doctor father, she's a straight-A student and follows every rule to the letter. One night after her aloof father changes their plans to spend the summer together yet again, she sneaks out of her dorm room after curfew, kisses a boy who is not her boyfriend, and gets caught vandalizing the school statue. As punishment, Hailey is assigned janitorial duty, and the entire school is put on lock down until she agrees to to tell who was with her. Mitigating circumstances make it impossible for her to reveal his identity. But now that Hailey has fallen from her perch of perfection, she begins to see things a little differently. She learns, with the help of the good-looking janitor she's assigned to help, that rules shouldn't always be followed...even when you're the one making them. Hailey is a likable character, and the events leading up to and away from her episode of vandalism are believable. Her emotions ring true as well, whether it's anger at her father or frustration at the restrictions she's placed on herself. The plot develops quickly, and readers will be madly flipping pages to find out what happens next.—Heather Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL