Pop Quiz

by Tom Ryan

Fifteen-year-old Aiden is a minor cast member on a long-running high school "dramedy" with a low budget and a loyal following. Aiden and his friends are excited that they're being promoted to lead roles for the upcoming tenth season of Pop Quiz. But then they learn the show is being canceled. According to the producers, no one even watches TV anymore, with kids preferring the antics of YouTube stars. With the help of some former cast members and a group of hardcore fans, Aiden and his friends attempt to create a movie special to wrap up the storylines and give the series the send-off it deserves.

128 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2017

About the author

Tom Ryan is an award winning author, screenwriter and producer. His YA mystery KEEP THIS TO YOURSELF was the winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best YA Thriller, the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for Best YA Crime Book, and the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award, and is currently being adapted for television. His followup YA mystery I HOPE YOU’RE LISTENING was the winner of the 2021 Lambda “Lammy” Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction.

Tom, his husband and their dog live in Nova Scotia.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and snappy story about early teens working on a tv show. I really appreciated the detail about life on the set--especially the stuff about food because I had a friend who worked on a set and he talked a lot about the food. The characters were sweet and relatable. My son really enjoyed it but was surprised when it ended so quickly. I guess "too short" is a bit of a backhanded critique, thus a good thing. Always leave them wanting more. My comment to him was, "Well, there weren't any loose ends," and he agreed with that. Maybe there'll be a sequel. This genre of kids who luck into a really cool line of work seems to appeal to him. It's a nice fantasy.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
A hi-lo book about a group of kids who have starred on a tv show for a few years, but money has run out and their contracts are coming to an end. Aiden doesn't want to see this happen - especially as the story line hasn't come to a satisfying conclusion. He is determined to see if he can find a way to get a more satisfying end to the series.

A serviceable story for struggling/reluctant readers, especially those who are into acting and/or are YouTube fans.