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Straight A's
A high-stakes YA novel that's great for fans of It's Kind of a Funny Story and The Perks of Being a Wallflower--this romantic story about academic pressure and depression will amuse and inspire.
Kim absolutely, positively cannot get a B in calculus.
She's on track for being valedictorian of her class and getting into the perfect college--or she was until Calculus class this year. But with report cards coming out soon, academic pressures are mounting, and anxiety threatens to overwhelm her.
She's feeling desperate. Helpless. And utterly overwhelmed with anxiety.
Now Kim's making secret preparations to commit suicide if she doesn't earn straight A's. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with the cute new guy in Writer's Club. But when she's backed into a corner with no other way out, can a poet help her realize that a B isn't the end of the world?
"Khristina Chess' Straight A's is a good read for any young person who feels pressured to succeed, or any parent who is looking to understand the pressures felt by teens and young adults." - Amazon customer review
Kim absolutely, positively cannot get a B in calculus.
She's on track for being valedictorian of her class and getting into the perfect college--or she was until Calculus class this year. But with report cards coming out soon, academic pressures are mounting, and anxiety threatens to overwhelm her.
She's feeling desperate. Helpless. And utterly overwhelmed with anxiety.
Now Kim's making secret preparations to commit suicide if she doesn't earn straight A's. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with the cute new guy in Writer's Club. But when she's backed into a corner with no other way out, can a poet help her realize that a B isn't the end of the world?
"Khristina Chess' Straight A's is a good read for any young person who feels pressured to succeed, or any parent who is looking to understand the pressures felt by teens and young adults." - Amazon customer review
- GenresYoung Adult
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2014
8 people are currently reading
465 people want to read
About the author
Khristina Chess
13 books129 followersKhristina Chess is the award-winning author of several young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, Hollow Beauty, The Delinquent Hero, Junior Missing, and Unquiet Riot. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, and adventure.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 29, 2016
I received a copy through Goodreads First Reads.
The topic is certainly timely considering I just read an article in the New York Times yesterday about the rise of suicides at one particular school.
There were a few minor things that made me hard to really believe in Kim and her unending pursuit of perfection:
1. I found it difficult to believe Kim does not know why men choose a more violent method to commit suicide than women do. She is supposed to be this uber brainiac, right?
2. Does she really think, with her great grades, she will not be able to afford any kind of education? No financial aid, no grants, nothing, if she is not valedictorian? I find it difficult to believe a studious young lady like herself has not done her research in these areas. There is always hope to educate oneself if one truly wants to learn.
Or is it because she is too busy studying?
But my #1 PET PEEVE with this book is that -
The CORRECT TITLE of the book is Straight As.
NO APOSTROPHE! PLURAL! PLURAL MEANS NO APOSTROPHE. An APOSTROPHE means THE POSSESSIVE. EVERYONE SAY IT WITH ME NOW...
AN APOSTROPHE S means POSSESSIVE.
NO APOSTROPHE with a S MEANS PLURAL.
The book is RIDDLED with these errors. Is there NO EDITOR? DID NO ONE SPELL CHECK the text before it went to print?
Technically, English is not my first language. BUT I KNOW when to use an APOSTROPHE.
NOT LIKE THIS - banana's are good! I love dog's!
NO ONE CAUGHT THIS MISTAKE! Not even the author? Really?
IT IS ON THE COVER FOR ALL TO SEE! OF A BOOK! Not a sign on the front of a kiosk by a business owner who does not speak English well. Okay, totally understandable.
What is the excuse here?
No wonder test scores in our nation are so low.
The topic is certainly timely considering I just read an article in the New York Times yesterday about the rise of suicides at one particular school.
There were a few minor things that made me hard to really believe in Kim and her unending pursuit of perfection:
1. I found it difficult to believe Kim does not know why men choose a more violent method to commit suicide than women do. She is supposed to be this uber brainiac, right?
2. Does she really think, with her great grades, she will not be able to afford any kind of education? No financial aid, no grants, nothing, if she is not valedictorian? I find it difficult to believe a studious young lady like herself has not done her research in these areas. There is always hope to educate oneself if one truly wants to learn.
Or is it because she is too busy studying?
But my #1 PET PEEVE with this book is that -
The CORRECT TITLE of the book is Straight As.
NO APOSTROPHE! PLURAL! PLURAL MEANS NO APOSTROPHE. An APOSTROPHE means THE POSSESSIVE. EVERYONE SAY IT WITH ME NOW...
AN APOSTROPHE S means POSSESSIVE.
NO APOSTROPHE with a S MEANS PLURAL.
The book is RIDDLED with these errors. Is there NO EDITOR? DID NO ONE SPELL CHECK the text before it went to print?
Technically, English is not my first language. BUT I KNOW when to use an APOSTROPHE.
NOT LIKE THIS - banana's are good! I love dog's!
NO ONE CAUGHT THIS MISTAKE! Not even the author? Really?
IT IS ON THE COVER FOR ALL TO SEE! OF A BOOK! Not a sign on the front of a kiosk by a business owner who does not speak English well. Okay, totally understandable.
What is the excuse here?
No wonder test scores in our nation are so low.
July 8, 2014
Khristina Chess' Straight A's is a good read for any young person who feels pressured to succeed, or any parent who is looking to understand the pressures felt by teens and young adults. Chess was able to tackle a difficult subject while keeping with themes expected from a YA novel, like crushes.
December 18, 2014
I'll be the first to admit that it's been quite a few years since high school. While Straight A's is geared more towards the younger crowd, it's a novel that is applicable for just about any age. It's about dealing with stress and pressure, and about how the need to be perfect can bring a person down. Kim is set to be the valedictorian in her class, when her depression hits full force. Dealing with her parent's separation and the possibility of a less than perfect grade in some classes, Kim feels that there is only one viable option. Khristina Chess has done a remarkable job in bringing suicide to the forefront of your mind with this book. It is definitely a difficult subject, but this novel doesn't tiptoe around it, and makes you think about it from different angles. Straight A's is sassy, smart, sad, realistic and thought-provoking. I enjoyed reading it, and look forward to more from this author.
I received a copy of this novel through Goodreads first-reads program.
I received a copy of this novel through Goodreads first-reads program.
September 13, 2014
I really liked this book. I think that the main character Kim is pretty relatable. And I was a sucker for all that goes on with "The Poet". I liked the story as a whole, the only thing that bothered me is that sometimes it seemed to jump from one thing to another and I was disappointed that nothing more happened with Lonnie's character. A lot of the book is about what Kim is thinking and she talks about big topics in her class or just to herself. I would definitely recommend it.
November 17, 2014
Okay read
Definitely a young readers story line. Good plot but not much on romance. The story is more about self discovery. Would recommend this except I would have loved to see more romance.
Definitely a young readers story line. Good plot but not much on romance. The story is more about self discovery. Would recommend this except I would have loved to see more romance.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews