SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

August 6, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Book Review: Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin

August 6, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

“Every thinking person should aspire to be, at some point in their lives, the person who buys someone else their first guitar” – Dedication, Wise Young Fool

Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin is a love letter to rock music, the glories (and glorious mess) of the teenage years, and the wisdom that comes in learning that you are, indeed, a fool who knows nothing.

WYF is told in alternating timelines.  In one, Ritchie Sudden sits in juvie hall writing in a journal and reminiscing about the events that landed him there while trying not to get dead.  They have something to do with his sister who died in a car accident.  In the other, Sudden and El Hella, Elliot in real life, form a band to try and win a competition, live their lives, and do teenage boy things which involve a lot of talking smack, getting in fights and the illustrious quest to get laid.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Beaudoin is a stylized writer, there is a beat and a swagger to his prose and it is both charming and fun while being raw and often over the top.  I imagine he is the John Hughes of teen lit if Hughes were more self aware, employed a bit more cussing and crassness, and added some kick ass stylization ala Nick Hornby.

Like Reality Boy by A. S. King (which I highly recommend, coming this fall), Beaudoin also does a fantastic job of capturing the heart and spirit of the angry teenage boy and shining some light on the darkness in their hearts.  Sudden comes from a broken family, is mourning a dead sister, and is surrounded by a group of other teenagers that, much like himself, really can’t figure things out.  At the same time his life in prison is both eye opening and life threatening, thanks in no small part to the fact that yet another alpha male has declared himself king (with a symbolic throne and all) and a fighting ring that goes largely ignored by the adults in charge.  Speaking of adults, Beaudoin includes a nice and realistic mix of adults who care, adults who don’t, those who try and fail and the occasional one who gets it right.

WYF joins the ranks of books I have read recently that use 80s and 90s references and, in this case, a bunch of old school music references, to add wit, humor, and make their points.  I often wonder when reading these titles if teen readers will get them, and if they don’t how it will affect their reading.  True music aficionados will have no issues, but for some there are going to be moments that leave them perplexed.  As a side note, this trend makes me wonder who ya authors are writing for sometimes because I am not sure that contemporary teen audiences will make the necessary connections.  Adult readers, of course, are amused and often delighted.  Kirkus made the same note (I looked): “littered with jokes and references, some clever, some oddly dated (“there’s the Bridge, which, yeah, is a bridge, but with no water underneath, troubled or otherwise” (Kirkus, 7/01/2013).  But Beaudoin is hardly the only author falling into this trend at the moment, so I give him a pass – especially since the book itself rocks (both literally and metaphorically).

Beaudoin is clever and captures the heart of what it is both to be a teenager and a boy, probably because he has some experience in both.  His writing is raucously delightful (but make no mistake, some will take great offense at the language and sex) and has a fast pace.  At the same time, Beaudoin sheds light on the great themes of literature: the discovery of self, coming of age, grief, coping mechanisms (flawed and fruitful), relationships of all sorts, and the great challenge of not only trying to exist, but to live life and to live it well.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X23sWj8d4dI]

Bonus Points for:

  • Successfully using a non-linear narrative (some people don’t, Beaudoin does)
  • Having Sudden use a condom
  • Characters with both depth and shallowness all at once
  • A great guy friendship
  • Clever and witty dialogue, it’s like he is writing the guy version of Gilmore Girls (in my world, that’s a compliment)
  • The intro and wrap-up that make it seem like a sort of Behind the Music/Where Are They Now look at the teenage life of Ritchie Sudden.  Fun.

Wise Young Fool is a great pairing with Winger by Andrew Smith, Me, Earl and The Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, Reality Boy by A. S. King and a Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand.  Also great for teens on the verge of ending high school who are wondering “what’s next”.  And for those of you making book lists, this title includes journal writing, boarding school and being sent to a juvenile detention center as well as grief, divorce, and GLBTQ themes (Sudden’s mom enters into a happy, healthy relationship with another woman after her divorce from Dad Sudden).

3.5 out of 5 stars.  There is a moment of triumph and inspiration in Wise Young Fool that will remind older readers of the scene in Dead Poets Society when all the students stood on their desk, just to use a dated reference.  No dystopias, no teenage assassins, just the moving and entertaining story of a punk ass kid who is hurting that learns that maybe he doesn’t need to be such a wise young fool, or a fool at all. Definitely recommended.  Wise Young Fool by Sean Beaudoin comes out today, August 6th, 2013.  ISBN: 9780316203791.

If you don’t already, follow Beaudoin online because he also writes excellent stuff on his blog there.  There are not many authors that I follow online, but he is one.  

Filed under: Book Reviews, Sean Beaudoin, Wise Young Fool

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2013

Book Review: The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2022

Book Review: The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2022

Book Review: The Loophole by Naz Kutub

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2022

Post-It Note Reviews: Graphic novels, picture books, and more!

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2022

Book Review: Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

The 2022 Poop Report

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Because You Just Can’t Have Too Much R.L. Stine: An Exclusive Stinetinglers Excerpt

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, vol. 1 | Review

by Renee Scott

Heavy Medal

Mock Newbery Update – Our List of First Half Suggestions

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The importance of play: how turning a problem into a game can foster creative problem-solving skills, a guest post by Candy James

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Shark Week, Vanilla Ice Cream, and the Honda CRV: Bob Shea and Brian Won Team Up for ADURABLE

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

17 Magical and Mind-Bending Sci-Fi & Fantasy Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

7 Slam-Dunk Sports Fiction Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

YA Anthologies: Discovering and Using New Collections For Teen Readers

Not Just for the Pre-K Crowd: Picture Books To Share with Tweens and Teens

9 YA Books with a 'Great Gatsby' Spin: Adaptations and Stories to Pair with the Classic

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2022


COPYRIGHT © 2022