What do you think?
Rate this book
Upper Class #2
Miss Educated
Welcome Back to Wellington Everyone makes New Year's resolutions, but for two returning students, the semester's Wellington goals are easier set than met. Parker Cole, for example. She survived first semester, sure, but still doesn't fit in. Mostly everyone thinks Parker is weird—in her cowboy hats and capes and violet perfume—and even she agrees. But she dreams of being known beyond her persona, for the real reasons, especially by a guy . . . Like her new lab partner, Chase Dobbs, a Southern boy with surfer hair. Chase has resolutions too—getting off of academic probation, for one, and avoiding military school, where his formidable father is this close to sending him. Chase must straighten up. But as soon as he gets back to campus, he has to deal with mini-disasters and distractions, including his strange, aloof lab partner, Parker—and the bizarre events that bind them. Parker and Chase are dead-set on turning their second semester, and maybe their whole lives at Wellington, around. But even the best-laid plans can be destroyed. And the most unlikely friendship might be what it takes to graduate to the upper class.
273 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2007
1 person is currently reading
110 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 21, 2024
I was confused in the beginning, middle and end if the book.
March 24, 2009
Hands down one of the worst books I've ever read, in YA or in any other category. The most interesting thing I learned in this book is that two of the authors are male, which explains the astounding number of "wet mouths" and "berry"-like nipples described in the text. In general, these books are piles upon piles of horrible metaphors, as here:
"With dishwater hair too long for a crew cut and too short to comb down, it stands on his head like Pomeranian fur. He's got the pink and wrinkled appeal of a newborn hamster."
WTF IS THAT?! How these three authors manage to repulse me using two of my favorite things -- Poms and hams -- is beyond me. Also beyond my comprehension is the fact that this book must have had an editor. Someone out there likes us that we don't have to read the original manuscript. Which must have read like the results of a coke-fueled idiom-dictionary fest, since every paragraph contains approximately five of these gems.
This may be repetitive of my review of the first book in the series, but this book reads like these three authors read Less Than Zero or more likely, The Rules of Attraction (probably also Bright Lights, Big City hence all the present tense) and thought, "Bret Easton Ellis did that for Bennington, I can do that for Hotchkiss." Except they can't.
This series also accomplishes something no previous YA series has -- making boarding school seem unglamorous. Instead of a cornucopia of privilege and Pringle cashmere, it's a world of whip-its (which I've always seen spelled that way to distinguish them from the dog breed -- though maybe these kids were huffing little greyhound-looking dogs), disgusting and inadequate sexual experiences, and townies unlike any I ever met growing up and attending private school in Connecticut.
I'm disgusted with myself for reading this book, let alone owning it (hey, it was used, and I felt some bizarre compulsion to confirm the crappiness of the first in the series), but once begun I do have an even stronger compulsion to finish things, so I read it all. I normally don't let myself get this vitriolic, thinking to myself, "Well smarty (wait no, tiny) pants, do you have a book deal? Could you do better than this?" The answer to the former may be no, but the answer to the latter is a resounding yes.
"With dishwater hair too long for a crew cut and too short to comb down, it stands on his head like Pomeranian fur. He's got the pink and wrinkled appeal of a newborn hamster."
WTF IS THAT?! How these three authors manage to repulse me using two of my favorite things -- Poms and hams -- is beyond me. Also beyond my comprehension is the fact that this book must have had an editor. Someone out there likes us that we don't have to read the original manuscript. Which must have read like the results of a coke-fueled idiom-dictionary fest, since every paragraph contains approximately five of these gems.
This may be repetitive of my review of the first book in the series, but this book reads like these three authors read Less Than Zero or more likely, The Rules of Attraction (probably also Bright Lights, Big City hence all the present tense) and thought, "Bret Easton Ellis did that for Bennington, I can do that for Hotchkiss." Except they can't.
This series also accomplishes something no previous YA series has -- making boarding school seem unglamorous. Instead of a cornucopia of privilege and Pringle cashmere, it's a world of whip-its (which I've always seen spelled that way to distinguish them from the dog breed -- though maybe these kids were huffing little greyhound-looking dogs), disgusting and inadequate sexual experiences, and townies unlike any I ever met growing up and attending private school in Connecticut.
I'm disgusted with myself for reading this book, let alone owning it (hey, it was used, and I felt some bizarre compulsion to confirm the crappiness of the first in the series), but once begun I do have an even stronger compulsion to finish things, so I read it all. I normally don't let myself get this vitriolic, thinking to myself, "Well smarty (wait no, tiny) pants, do you have a book deal? Could you do better than this?" The answer to the former may be no, but the answer to the latter is a resounding yes.
October 26, 2008
Welcome Back to Wellington! It’s time for the spring semester. Nikki and Laine take a backseat and Parker and Chase take their places in the spotlight.
Parker Cole weird girl extraodinaire. She marches to the beat of her own drum and simply doesn’t care what other people think.
Chase Dobbs one strike away from military school. This semester he has to get his butt into gear! Still hung up on the elusive Laine and it seems that his semester will dampen even further without her presence on campus.
This unlikely pair is forced upon each other in their Limnology class. The duo’s first assignment leads them to the discovery of a dead body, and the two can’t help but bond from there. Parker finds herself crushing on Chase although she isn’t sure why, and Chase tries to deny anything he might be feeling for Parker. Partly because he is still hung up on Laine and mainly because he is worried about what other people will think if they see the pair together.
Add that to; Chase’s overlooked ADD, drug dealings and takings, spring break in Costa Rica, and the return of Laine and you have a drama-filled semester!
I didn’t enjoy Miss Educated as much as I did the first novel, The Upper Class. While reading The Upper Class, I found myself wanting to know more about Chase and now that I do, I have to say I’m not impressed with his character at all. While his struggles were realistic and meant to be sympathetic, I found myself genuinely annoyed. Parker was an enjoyable character, but even though she was a huge part of the story, I still feel like I know almost nothing about her. I’m not sure exactly why Laine ended up coming back to Wellington either. It was apparent in the first book that the girl had some major issues and I don’t exactly see how coming back was going to help in her road to recovery. Nikki remains to be a real and raw character, although her presence in the book is minimal. If you like the first book The Upper Class I would recommend reading Miss Educated, but don’t expect too much. Even though I was disappointed with Miss Educated still plan on reading the rest of the series.
Parker Cole weird girl extraodinaire. She marches to the beat of her own drum and simply doesn’t care what other people think.
Chase Dobbs one strike away from military school. This semester he has to get his butt into gear! Still hung up on the elusive Laine and it seems that his semester will dampen even further without her presence on campus.
This unlikely pair is forced upon each other in their Limnology class. The duo’s first assignment leads them to the discovery of a dead body, and the two can’t help but bond from there. Parker finds herself crushing on Chase although she isn’t sure why, and Chase tries to deny anything he might be feeling for Parker. Partly because he is still hung up on Laine and mainly because he is worried about what other people will think if they see the pair together.
Add that to; Chase’s overlooked ADD, drug dealings and takings, spring break in Costa Rica, and the return of Laine and you have a drama-filled semester!
I didn’t enjoy Miss Educated as much as I did the first novel, The Upper Class. While reading The Upper Class, I found myself wanting to know more about Chase and now that I do, I have to say I’m not impressed with his character at all. While his struggles were realistic and meant to be sympathetic, I found myself genuinely annoyed. Parker was an enjoyable character, but even though she was a huge part of the story, I still feel like I know almost nothing about her. I’m not sure exactly why Laine ended up coming back to Wellington either. It was apparent in the first book that the girl had some major issues and I don’t exactly see how coming back was going to help in her road to recovery. Nikki remains to be a real and raw character, although her presence in the book is minimal. If you like the first book The Upper Class I would recommend reading Miss Educated, but don’t expect too much. Even though I was disappointed with Miss Educated still plan on reading the rest of the series.
November 6, 2012
Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com
In THE UPPER CLASS, we were introduced to Laine Hunt and Nikki Olivetti. Now it's time to meet Parker Cole and Chase Dobbs.
Parker had established herself to be somewhat of a loner at Wellington. With basically just one true friend, Parker's outfit choices and the way she interacts with the world definitely make her stand out. Now that summer is over, Parker wants to create a new image to go along with her new year at Wellington.
Chase is on the brink of being sent to military school, which he would be easily accepted into since his father is on the board. It's his father who threatens Chase with military school, after he received numerous calls and complaints about Chase's behavior at Wellington. All Chase has to do to avoid this drastic measure is to act more mature and get good grades -- basically, straighten up. This doesn't prove to be too easy though, since all of his friends can easily encourage Chase to get off track.
In the first day of Limnology 101, Parker and Chase get paired up to be lab partners. Both do not approve of this match, since they see one another in a very bad light. Ironically, Parker and Chase sort of need each other, if they want to accomplish their goals. If only they could get along first.
The perfect follow-up to the first in the series, MISS EDUCATED isn't only smart but also hilarious. Boarding school never looked so good.
In THE UPPER CLASS, we were introduced to Laine Hunt and Nikki Olivetti. Now it's time to meet Parker Cole and Chase Dobbs.
Parker had established herself to be somewhat of a loner at Wellington. With basically just one true friend, Parker's outfit choices and the way she interacts with the world definitely make her stand out. Now that summer is over, Parker wants to create a new image to go along with her new year at Wellington.
Chase is on the brink of being sent to military school, which he would be easily accepted into since his father is on the board. It's his father who threatens Chase with military school, after he received numerous calls and complaints about Chase's behavior at Wellington. All Chase has to do to avoid this drastic measure is to act more mature and get good grades -- basically, straighten up. This doesn't prove to be too easy though, since all of his friends can easily encourage Chase to get off track.
In the first day of Limnology 101, Parker and Chase get paired up to be lab partners. Both do not approve of this match, since they see one another in a very bad light. Ironically, Parker and Chase sort of need each other, if they want to accomplish their goals. If only they could get along first.
The perfect follow-up to the first in the series, MISS EDUCATED isn't only smart but also hilarious. Boarding school never looked so good.
December 29, 2014
When I was about 12, my brother gave me this book for Christmas. I've always been an advanced reader, but the content in this was definitely not appropriate for me. In addition, he bought the second book in the series instead of the first. Discounting those two things, it was just not a very well written book. Important lesson learned: brothers should give you gift cards.
I adored Parker and grew to like Chase, I guess, and the romance between them is actually very sweet and realistic. I loved the evolution of their relationship: going from acquaintances to friends to something more. I loved Parker. Hell, I desperately want to be Parker because she is so complex and interesting and exactly the kind of girl I'd hang out with. The last bit of the book was agony for me. It was too vague, and I desperately wanted to know what would happen next. The writing isn't very good, but the dialogue is usually okay if funny.
Damn, I guess I'll have to read the next two. I can't in good conscious recommend. In bad conscious, though, i definitely could.
I adored Parker and grew to like Chase, I guess, and the romance between them is actually very sweet and realistic. I loved the evolution of their relationship: going from acquaintances to friends to something more. I loved Parker. Hell, I desperately want to be Parker because she is so complex and interesting and exactly the kind of girl I'd hang out with. The last bit of the book was agony for me. It was too vague, and I desperately wanted to know what would happen next. The writing isn't very good, but the dialogue is usually okay if funny.
Damn, I guess I'll have to read the next two. I can't in good conscious recommend. In bad conscious, though, i definitely could.
December 4, 2008
we return to wellington sans laine, this time to focus on parker cole and chase dobbs. the drama is a different kind- romance rather than bullying, but still based on the idea of fitting it.
liked this one even more than the first one. i'm still enjoying the writing: sometimes a little showy but always original. and this one just felt so true to me with one major exception- this high school experience feels much closer to a college experience. the teens i work with seem much more innocent than this...but maybe that's one of the things that make these books appealing. or maybe it's because we live in the midwest.
liked this one even more than the first one. i'm still enjoying the writing: sometimes a little showy but always original. and this one just felt so true to me with one major exception- this high school experience feels much closer to a college experience. the teens i work with seem much more innocent than this...but maybe that's one of the things that make these books appealing. or maybe it's because we live in the midwest.
September 16, 2010
The second book in this series continues to be a well-written account of boarding school, shifting focus to two of the minor characters who were introduced in the first book. The change in perspective is refreshing, and I especially applaud the book's ability to create a believable teenage male character in Chase. He's no saint, but not condemnable either. What the book does well is describe the undefined romantic connections that can develop between boys and girls in those years-- and as Parker says, "realize that there is more than one version of the truth."
December 24, 2007
I'm still reading this book.
February 12, 2008
This is my friend Taylor's book!
May 11, 2009
Really Good book, the book sometimes had characters that they didn't really describe but otherwise it was good
June 24, 2009
I know one of the authors. Very quick read. The dialogue makes me laugh.
August 2, 2010
I was so bad that I can't remember anything about it, which is a hard feat for me when it comes to books.
September 11, 2011
I'm so ashamed that I read this. What a mistake.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews