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Students Across the Seven Seas
Getting the Boot
Studying abroad isn't at all like Kelly thought it would be.Instead of shopping for fine Italian leather and living in an apartment with a view of the Colosseum, she is stuck in a stuffy dorm room with three other girls, and is sharing one shower with the entire floor! This is not the bella Roma that she'd dreamed of. But there is one part of Italy that Kelly doesn't mindJoe, a really cute guy who's in the study abroad program too. Joe's into staying up late and partying hard, two things that Kelly used to love doing. Bad habits are hard to break, and she soon finds herself on thin ice with the program coordinators. If Kelly's not careful, she might just get the boot
This S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas) book is the second in our new study abroad fiction series that taps into every teen girl's longing for international travel, adventure, and romance.
198 pages, Library Binding
First published May 5, 2005
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January 4, 2015
Next stop on the S.A.S.S. tour: Italy, where Kelly is eager to spend the summer shopping, tanning, and flirting. Imagine her surprise when it turns out that she's staying in a dorm, not a fancy villa...and the programme's courses require actual work...and the other students in the programme aren't interested in her attempts to give them makeovers.
The focus of the book, then, is on Kelly's growth into a bit less of a...well, a self-absorbed brat. Kelly's not a mean person, or a dumb one. She's just very focused on the superficial. Although I don't find Kelly particularly interesting, I don't have huge problems with her -- although I do wish she'd been called upon to take responsibility for her actions; pretty much everything gets pegged on Joe. Certainly he does far worse things than Kelly does -- but he doesn't make her decisions for her. That said, I mostly just wish the supporting characters had been more well-rounded. Instead they're cliché after cliché, and while sometimes the stereotyping is there to be proven wrong, much of the time it just feels like lazy character sketching.
A general note on the series: I'm not that far into it yet -- this is the fifth I've read of the fourteen S.A.S.S. books. But I'm surprised by how much time the characters tend to spend with other students in their programmes rather than with locals. The characters in The Finnish Line and The Great Call of China manage to develop friendships with students their age (although in the latter case only because the programme assigns them local hosts, of a sort), but other than that... It's one thing in Girl Overboard, where they live on a boat and don't spend enough time in port to build relationships. But in Pardon My French I think Nicole talks to maybe two bona fide French people, and Getting the Boot is more of the same: Kelly has a bit of a fling with an Italian guy, and a random, dialogue-free Italian girl shows up for a scene. But that's it.
The author does manage to cram in a lot of Italy factoids, though, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm on the fence about the romance -- on the one hand, it's a afterthought (a plus as far as I'm concerned; I don't think it's one of the more interesting parts of the story), but on the other hand, it's largely an afterthought because there wasn't much room for it by the time Kelly got past her bad-idea romance. Another reviewer suggested that Sheela might make a more compelling protagonist, and I'm inclined to agree -- certainly she comes into her own more than Kelly does.
More general look at the series here.
The focus of the book, then, is on Kelly's growth into a bit less of a...well, a self-absorbed brat. Kelly's not a mean person, or a dumb one. She's just very focused on the superficial. Although I don't find Kelly particularly interesting, I don't have huge problems with her -- although I do wish she'd been called upon to take responsibility for her actions; pretty much everything gets pegged on Joe. Certainly he does far worse things than Kelly does -- but he doesn't make her decisions for her. That said, I mostly just wish the supporting characters had been more well-rounded. Instead they're cliché after cliché, and while sometimes the stereotyping is there to be proven wrong, much of the time it just feels like lazy character sketching.
A general note on the series: I'm not that far into it yet -- this is the fifth I've read of the fourteen S.A.S.S. books. But I'm surprised by how much time the characters tend to spend with other students in their programmes rather than with locals. The characters in The Finnish Line and The Great Call of China manage to develop friendships with students their age (although in the latter case only because the programme assigns them local hosts, of a sort), but other than that... It's one thing in Girl Overboard, where they live on a boat and don't spend enough time in port to build relationships. But in Pardon My French I think Nicole talks to maybe two bona fide French people, and Getting the Boot is more of the same: Kelly has a bit of a fling with an Italian guy, and a random, dialogue-free Italian girl shows up for a scene. But that's it.
The author does manage to cram in a lot of Italy factoids, though, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned. I'm on the fence about the romance -- on the one hand, it's a afterthought (a plus as far as I'm concerned; I don't think it's one of the more interesting parts of the story), but on the other hand, it's largely an afterthought because there wasn't much room for it by the time Kelly got past her bad-idea romance. Another reviewer suggested that Sheela might make a more compelling protagonist, and I'm inclined to agree -- certainly she comes into her own more than Kelly does.
More general look at the series here.
July 17, 2012
As I was going on holiday to Rome, I decided that I had to find a book that was set in my holiday destination to read whilst I was there. Let me tell you, it was surprisingly difficult to find a book that was set in Rome, especially a young adult one! After asking around fellow bloggers a few times, only one young adult book set in the centre of the city came to light. Though I'd read no reviews of it or any other work by the author, I still decided to order Getting the Boot by Peggy Guthart Strauss to pack in my hand luggage.
As I've just mentioned, I have had no experience with this author or with the Students Across the Seven Seas stories, but from the blurb, this story sounded fun, light and most ideally, it was in the exact setting I wanted. The book is only 198 pages and a very simple, easy story to follow so I finished it quite some time before the end of my 3 hour flight. Despite the shortness of the novel, it didn't feel remarkably lacking and it had some fantastic Italian, specific-to-Rome references.
This story is mainly about an american student, Kelly, who takes a trip to Rome as part of a International Summer School Program. Kelly is your classic cliché popular, somewhat selfish high schooler and initially she doesn't care about getting educated in Italy - she's more interested in the fashion, the famous sights and most of all, the Italian guys. During her stay in Rome, Kelly slowly realises that there's more to life than appearances and she does develop some sort of respect and responsibility. Yeah - it's not exactly a new, intellectual or surprising concept, but it's a light read with a couple of 'issues' discussed along the way. I particularly enjoyed the bonds that Kelly made with an artistic girl in her dorm and also with her female teacher. Due to the length of the book, we don't go into huge depth, but what we were given was decent. I was, however, left disappointed with the romance aspect of this book - it was dull and the 'twist' was very predictable.
Though slightly younger teens and young-adults may enjoy these books more than maturer readers, I would recommend this to anyone who simply wants a speedy summer read - something extremely easy, relaxing and with a few nice references to Rome without going into cultural or emotional issues too heavily. It is definitely not the best piece of literature around, but it did its job well. I will definitely be looking into the other books in this series as I think they'll be great for a quick, fun read when I want one and they should hopefully give me little glimpses of different cities in our very large world.
As I've just mentioned, I have had no experience with this author or with the Students Across the Seven Seas stories, but from the blurb, this story sounded fun, light and most ideally, it was in the exact setting I wanted. The book is only 198 pages and a very simple, easy story to follow so I finished it quite some time before the end of my 3 hour flight. Despite the shortness of the novel, it didn't feel remarkably lacking and it had some fantastic Italian, specific-to-Rome references.
This story is mainly about an american student, Kelly, who takes a trip to Rome as part of a International Summer School Program. Kelly is your classic cliché popular, somewhat selfish high schooler and initially she doesn't care about getting educated in Italy - she's more interested in the fashion, the famous sights and most of all, the Italian guys. During her stay in Rome, Kelly slowly realises that there's more to life than appearances and she does develop some sort of respect and responsibility. Yeah - it's not exactly a new, intellectual or surprising concept, but it's a light read with a couple of 'issues' discussed along the way. I particularly enjoyed the bonds that Kelly made with an artistic girl in her dorm and also with her female teacher. Due to the length of the book, we don't go into huge depth, but what we were given was decent. I was, however, left disappointed with the romance aspect of this book - it was dull and the 'twist' was very predictable.
Though slightly younger teens and young-adults may enjoy these books more than maturer readers, I would recommend this to anyone who simply wants a speedy summer read - something extremely easy, relaxing and with a few nice references to Rome without going into cultural or emotional issues too heavily. It is definitely not the best piece of literature around, but it did its job well. I will definitely be looking into the other books in this series as I think they'll be great for a quick, fun read when I want one and they should hopefully give me little glimpses of different cities in our very large world.
August 20, 2018
Writing, plot, characters: 1 star
Entertainment value because it's so bad: 3 stars
Which gives it an average of 2!
Would highly recommend reading it with a friend. A lot of the fun was telling people the ridiculous stuff Kelly was doing and laughing about it with a friend who also read it.
Entertainment value because it's so bad: 3 stars
Which gives it an average of 2!
Would highly recommend reading it with a friend. A lot of the fun was telling people the ridiculous stuff Kelly was doing and laughing about it with a friend who also read it.
August 2, 2018
This looked so cute. A study abroad in Italy would be amazing.
These books looked classy & sweet, so I was surprised when I reread the synopsis & it was about partying in Italy. The MC & Joe like staying up & partying. I was also immediately disappointed he's American. Who wants to go to Italy & meet an American?!
I was surprised by the cussing & the drugs in here. It was upper YA & didn't fit.
It was pretty coincidental that the last Italian book I read (Kissing in Italian) also had a character named Kelly, Luigi, and an MC that's artistic!
The MC was exactly what I don't like in books; she likes to party & drinks.
She started out putting Sheela down, because she reads& doesn't party. Kelly's poplar, Sheela isn't good enough to hang out with. Being that I'm like Sheela, I didn't like the put down. I'd much prefer this book was about Sheela.
When Sheela looks petrified and says "god, I hate being sociable" I was like that is so me.
The characters in SASS were stereotypical; a goth girl, popular girl, regular girls, preppy guy, nerds.
I loved the info & insight on Italy:
Europeans don't much like central air.
-Ostia Antica was the major seaport of Ancient Rome & its base of naval operations during the heyday of the empire. You can find a festive seaside resort sitting near roman ruins.
-Testaccio used to be the city dump in ancient times. There's a pyramid there where an ancient politician was buried. Romans were really into Egyptian stuff.
-The Sistine chapel was the first to be restored at the Basilica, Michelangelo's vibrant palette visible for the first time in centuries. I bet that was amazing to see that,& such a shame for the people before who didn't see it restored.
-I knew the Vatican was governed by it's own laws & had it's own police, but I didn't know it also had it's own post office, money, & radio station.
-To enter the basilica, you have to have your shoulders and legs covered.
The pope asking Michelangelo to paint the chapel ceiling, even thought he considered himself a sculptor. He worked day & night on it for four years, under constant pressure to finish, until his eyes went bad. That was sad to hear. And then Pope Paul III brought another artist to paint clothing on some naked figures. I couldn't believe that the painting was only restored in the 1990s. The clothes were removed so Michelangelo's work was as he created it. That sucks for the other artist who had claim to part of the painting, just to have his work erased. But it's also cool that Michalengo's entire work is on view.
-The Pantheon is one of the greatest feats of engineering in the world. The builders built it on a huge, round hill of dirt,& then took the earth away when construction was completed. The hole in the center of the roof is called the oculus,& as the sun moves west through the sky, the sunshine moves around the room. Raphael is buried there.
-I loved looking up sites they mentioned, like the Piazza di Spagna, which I haven't seen before.
-They're said to speak the purest form of Italian in Siena & Florence.
Siena is a big university town. Florence is also called Firenze. Naples is called Napoli,& is the birthplace of pizza.
-In Siena, the Palio takes place in the piazza twice every summer, a competitive free for all on horseback the way it has for centuries.
-Siena was safe, small,& easy to navigate. Getting lost wasn't an option, because there were street signs everywhere pointing out tourist attractions & almost every street eventually led to the piazza del campo. Siena was designed for walkers, it's narrow streets not being able to handle heavy traffic.
-Michelangelo's David had been restored around 500 years after it was made, so he looks better than he did in hundreds of years. Michelangelo portrayed muscles & bones more accurately than any other artist of his time.
-The art at the Boboli Gardens reflected the Mannerism style, where it was designed to entertain people, so a lot of them have a sense of humor. They also had jets of water all over that squirted up randomly & soaked people.
-In medieval times, the higher you built, the richer you were. There used to be 70 towers at San Gimignano, but only 13 remained. Its a good example of what a thriving medieval community looked like. Cars aren't allowed in the city walls so you have to walk.
-Many meals in Italy were served family-style, on huge platters passed from person to person.
-Pompeii had lots of modern conveniences. The richest citizens had indoor plumbing with toilet seats. Pompeii's inhabitants came from all walks of life, filthy rich to penniless, aristocrats to slaves. They ate fast food, worked out in the gym, took saunas at the spa. They had laundries, bakeries, candy stores, jewelry shops,& bars. They had an open-air theater & sports arena for all sorts of entertainment. Temples allowed people to worship Greek, Roman & Egyptian deities. I didn't know they worshiped Egyptian.
All that was left were tourists & stray dogs that everyone fed & petted, because legend had it they were reincarnated victims of the lost city. That was really cool.
The people of Pompeii thought the world was coming to an end. Those who live near Pompeii know to enjoy every moment of life.
It's amazing that Pliny the Younger's two letters if the volcano were still valuable references for volcanologists and historians today.
-The keyhole made by Piranesi in Via di Santa Sabina that showed the Vatican was so cool!
Legend says if you toss a coin in La Cisterna, your wish goes straight into the heart of Rome & will surely come true.
Very cool Michelangelo's signature is on the sash of the Pieta.
Kelly met Joe at dinner,& I didn't really like him, & the very next day he walks up behind her saying "hey, babe" & hugging her waist. Who does that? They're talking & joking during the tour of the Forum. He calls her roommates losers,& was clearly a jerk.
Kelly was the roommate you don't want, she actually ate her roommates peanut butter.
She tells Minnie to update her wardrobe because guys like sophisticated, mysterious woman. She says she can do something with her hair to give it body & when Minnie gets affronted, she actually thought she was being helpful.
Sometimes teachers would be explaining something historical,& I wanted to hear it, but the author would cut it off as if it wasn't important. Like Marco's tour of the Forum. And Andrea about to explain the theories of why Michelangelo made David's upper half larger than the bottom. I guess I'll never know...
Kelly could be snobby,& incredibly unlikable; 'at home, she was friendly to everyone. Almost everyone. She at least tried to smile at the socially unfortunate students.'
Sheela was laughing & leaning towards Jarvis& Kelly said she knew how to have fun after all. 'Kelly felt strangely proud of her--she had learned from the master.' She's actually taking credit for that.
Joe smoked weed, which was gross. This didn't fit him at all: "there's a delightfully private alley just across the highway."
-Kelly saying "god, have you ever seen such a bunch of stiffs in your life? I can't believe Dr. W got them out of the library for a whole afternoon. I bet kids in Malibu aren't allowed to be this pasty."
She was late on her art assignment,& Andrea actually let's her turn it in a day later. When Joe asks her to go dancing, she says yes even though she has to work on her drawing. 'What could Kelly say? What Joe Leahy wanted, Joe Leahy got.' So because he said he gets what he wants, you can't ever say no to him?
What makes it worse is that her parents made her sign a list of rules, which she knowingly ignored.
Like finishing schoolwork before leisure activities & not drinking anything but wine.
Even after Joe's drunken episode waking up her roommates, she kept going out w/ him almost every night for two weeks,& she turned in her project a day after Andrea said she could.
Andrea mentioned famous artists. Kelly is annoyed that Sheela was writing them down. She knew Michelangelo,& Raphael & Bernini sounded familiar. The other ones meant nothing to her, & the author didn't mention any more. A quick search would show some more names. & if Kelly didn't know them, how about YOU write them down.
Because she didn't read the fact sheet, she doesn't wear the appropriate clothes for the Vatican,& misses the tour. She's actually irritated that Joe finds it funny. Bravo, girl. She realizes she was disrespecting a holy place,& knows that Andrea will tell Dr. Wainwright,& about how she's been late to class every day. She wonders if she'll be sent home. Her desire to change was too sudden. She decides to prove she deserves to be there,& never blow an assignment again.
There happens to be a cute guy named Luigi working at the Vatican. I could see where that was going. Very random& of course he gives her a VIP tour so she catches up w/ the group.
Even though she was gonna get on track, she still partied with Joe,& that's how she lost her locket. I applauded everything Sheela said, cause it was so true, saying she's immature, irresponsible & it reflected on her. Also when she overheard two girls saying she was a total brat,& used stuff w/o asking,& is having a fling w/ loser Joe. I thought that would open her eyes, but she goes directly to him after. Even though he laughs at the Vatican again, she still planned on seeing him.
She stupidly goes out w/ Joe even though she shouldn't be partying at all, & it takes him drugging her & another girl to get her to see he's a bad influence.
She didn't even tell on Joe & Rodney for drugging her & that girl.
I didn't like that Dr. Wainwright brushed off her behavior,& excused it. "I suspect that at home, you're a very well-adjusted person. You have a certain stature in your school, in your community, & in your family. Here, you were asked to start with a blank slate, to adjust all over again." Every student had to do that. And they're coping & thriving.
He also says that Joe is the worst person to ally yourself with & that "I strongly suspect that he is the catalyst for your lateness & lack of preparation in class on several occasions. And I'll wager he was one of the friends you were out with last night."
That puts the blame entirely on Joe, as if Kelly isn't a free-thinking human being with a brain of her own. She could have said no at any time.
She wonders if Sheela ratted her out, as if Sheela didn't have every right to do so if she did tell on her. All Wainwright did was tell her parents. And then she gets asked to paint a mural.
He hinted that Joe would be asked to leave,& I found that unfair that Joe would leave while Kelly gets to stay. She's the one late to class, when even Joe is on time. She's also late turning assignments in. Joe hasn't done that. He also knew what to wear to the Vatican. He's only broken curfew; Kelly's done a lot more. By all rights, she should leave Italy.
She thanks him for having faith in her, but not for letting her stay. She thinks 'maybe she really did deserve to be here' but you really don't.
It was very ironic when she tells Joe "anyone with half a brain would have hung you out to dry after what you did to me, not to mention poor Laura" because that's exactly what I've thought, it's like you don't have a brain where Joe's concerned. She says "you drugged us, for god's sake! Idt I can trust you anymore." Someone drugs you, & you DONT THINK you can trust them? She lost major points for actually wavering w/ Joe just because he looked remorseful.
Sheela tells Kelly that breaking up w/ Joe took serious guts & that if she didn't have so much backbone, she could have easily caved. Kelly has no backbone which is why she was in that mess with Joe & has screwed up her Italy trip in the first place. She's a weak willed idiot.
Kelly says once she realized what kind of person Joe was, it has been almost easy breaking up w/ him, but it wasn't because you almost caved. Loser.
Her phone call w/ her dad, where she's supposed to be reamed out, was as flat as Wainwright's was. Of course she doesn't get in trouble,& the missing locket takes precedence over her being late to class.
Of course to get Goth Girl's approval, she had to hear that Kelly broke curfew, went clubbing,& Wainwright found out about it.
Kelly tells Andrea that she bet she had tons of boyfriends & were super popular. Andrea says Kelly wouldn't have given her the time of day as a teenager, because we all need Kelly's approval.
She said she didn't have one date in HS,& if someone had asked her out she would have died of fright. That was so me in HS. Then she says "I was completely socially clueless" which I didn't care for. Kelly says her 'mind boggles at the thought of Andrea as a socially challenged outcast.'
This author was too into labels. If you're not a social butterfly, popular, or party crazy, then you're "socially clueless" or a "social outcast."
Being shy is normal,& relatable to a lot of people. So how about not making ppl feel bad about themselves by calling them clueless, losers, or outcasts?
She only covered two ends of the spectrum, too. You're either popular or an outcast. Nothing in between.
It sounded so much fun going to Siena, Florence, Pompeii & Naples.
I liked the tie in; "Kelly asked Andrea the million-euro question."
Kelly & the other art students even get a head start working on their final project, which everyone else won't start until after the trip. Special Kelly gets another break.
It was interesting how Luigi wanted to become an engineer in the 'great tradition of Romans before him.'
I was excited for them to go on the trip, I hated that last second drama where Kelly wanted to room with Marina on the trip,& Sheela got upset. Cut the crap.
Joe is antagonizing Minnie,& Kelly realizes Joe made fun of her roommates & she never defended them. So she asks Minnie to sit with her. She said style always interested her, but 'now, even though it went against all of her natural instincts, she knew it was time for her to start concentrating a whole lot more on substance.' Which was pretty big for her.
I loved the mention of Bed Head; I tried that for hair frizz!
Kelly noticed the American tourists were often slow, usually rude,& expected everyone to speak english. She was embarrassed by them and vows to work on her Italian.
Kelly asks Sheela if she remembered her telling her about Luigi from the Vatican info center, but that happened off page.
It sounded so much fun staying the night in the middle of an olive grove at a pensione run by a farmer& his wife.
There was no mystery whatsoever to who planted the drugs in Kelly's storage locker. She had just broken it off w/ Joe before the trip, he didn't have much time to plan something like that.
Earlier she said smoke made her eyes water & nose run or something, but she all of a sudden says she's allergic to smoke on pg 152. When Joe offered her weed, she didn't mention she was allergic to smoke.
There were curse words, even bastard, yet after Minnie calls Joe an asshole, she says she's glad Kelly dumped his behind. When Kelly tells marina that Joe framed her, she calls him a 'little turd.'
Sheela says "everybody knows you're allergic to smoke. You haven't stopped complaining about it all summer." Except we didn't,& she hasn't.
I love when Marina said you sure know how to pick em, when it turned out Joe framed her. Because she was seriously an idiot for liking Joe.
Kelly hit it right on the money when she said she doesn't deserve friends like Sheela and Marina.
She realizes she hasn't written to Starr,& that w/o talking of guys, hairstyles,& outfits she didn't have much to say. She wonders if her friends would think she's uncool now that she likes art & history. I thought she wouldn't wanna hang w/ them,& would want deeper friendships but then says if her and Sheela can get along, anything was possible. Her real friends would love her, whoever she was.
It was totally corny how Kelly finds a fresco that looks similar to Marina's mom. Her motorcycle riding, jeans & Tshirt wearing mom resembles an ancient fresco of a woman who was a poet,& Marina's mom happened to love poetry. Yeah right.
I found it very corny Luigi calls the very day she returned from Pompeii, 30 mins after she got back.
It was very interesting how Sheela and Minnie were writing the autobiography of a pompeiin teenager, having been inspired by Sappho of Pompeii.
I knew that the necklace would be found somehow& Wainwright even fixed the clasp. Because everything ends up perfect for Kelly.
Luigi said once in a while he gets to help beautiful, lost strangers, which is the best part of his job. And it made it seem like he does that with a lot of girls. He said "don't worry. You are one of a kind" which wasn't believable to me. He doesn't even know her. What about her is one of a kind?
Marina teases that she's already got her Italian couture wedding dress picked out, as if that relationship even hints of marriage.
Sheela's project was on oration. Orators wore togas & went to the forum to read famous speeches in Latin. It sounded so romantic to be there with the sunset lighting the forum,& the lights of the city behind it.
She said Sheela deserved a prize for facing up to her fear of public speaking, & it was strange how harrowing it was for her, while it was effortless for Kelly. It made me wonder what Kelly was afraid of. It was like she had no idea why Sheela was afraid of public speaking.
I thought it was rude how Kelly was bored by the orations & called Jarvis' speech gibberish, even in English she couldn't understand& had to force herself to listen to Sheela.
Of course Andrea tells her "the summer would have been dull without you." Are you calling all your students dull? Breaking curfew, staying out late. Just the student you want.
'She was a lot more than a pretty face; she knew that now.' Humble!
I wasn't interested at all in her letters to her friends. Idc about them.
Kelly didn't improve much. She only accepted people because they changed. Sheela had to start hanging out with a guy for Kelly to realize she could be fun. Otherwise she'd still be a social outcast.
This got better as it went along, when Joe finally got out of the picture,& they did some actual sight seeing & things in Italy. It ended sort of nice, but there wasn't much romance in here. Most of it was with the wrong guy. The MC & most everyone was unlikable.
Luigi didn't have much substance, sort of a cardboard character.
I liked the last lines: 'the afternoon sun streamed through the windows, glinting off the wings of planes arriving from all over the world. One journey was ending, but Kelly knew there would be many more.'
I don't get the point of authors writing characters that aren't likable. So I'm just irritated by them & not liking them the whole time. Why spend time with the bad boy most of the book,& barely include Luigi? I found that whole 'romance' random & severely lacking. There was no emotion when she'd kiss Joe or Luigi. It was just 'he kissed me,' not how it felt. I wondered why Joe even went if he wasn't interested in Italy.
This series looked so cute & sweet. It ended up being trashy w/ drugs, drinking, characters smoking weed & drugging two girls. The MC was so stupid to like Joe. He was clearly a jerk, & reminded me of guys from my H.S. She was self-centered, put everyone down, wasn't accepting in the slightest of others, judged people. The author gave everyone a label, & was seriously insulting to shy, quiet people. If you're that way you're socially inept, an outcast, unfortunate. Btw, if anyone's a loser, it's you Kelly, for falling for Joe.
Very disappointed with this.
These books looked classy & sweet, so I was surprised when I reread the synopsis & it was about partying in Italy. The MC & Joe like staying up & partying. I was also immediately disappointed he's American. Who wants to go to Italy & meet an American?!
I was surprised by the cussing & the drugs in here. It was upper YA & didn't fit.
It was pretty coincidental that the last Italian book I read (Kissing in Italian) also had a character named Kelly, Luigi, and an MC that's artistic!
The MC was exactly what I don't like in books; she likes to party & drinks.
She started out putting Sheela down, because she reads& doesn't party. Kelly's poplar, Sheela isn't good enough to hang out with. Being that I'm like Sheela, I didn't like the put down. I'd much prefer this book was about Sheela.
When Sheela looks petrified and says "god, I hate being sociable" I was like that is so me.
The characters in SASS were stereotypical; a goth girl, popular girl, regular girls, preppy guy, nerds.
I loved the info & insight on Italy:
Europeans don't much like central air.
-Ostia Antica was the major seaport of Ancient Rome & its base of naval operations during the heyday of the empire. You can find a festive seaside resort sitting near roman ruins.
-Testaccio used to be the city dump in ancient times. There's a pyramid there where an ancient politician was buried. Romans were really into Egyptian stuff.
-The Sistine chapel was the first to be restored at the Basilica, Michelangelo's vibrant palette visible for the first time in centuries. I bet that was amazing to see that,& such a shame for the people before who didn't see it restored.
-I knew the Vatican was governed by it's own laws & had it's own police, but I didn't know it also had it's own post office, money, & radio station.
-To enter the basilica, you have to have your shoulders and legs covered.
The pope asking Michelangelo to paint the chapel ceiling, even thought he considered himself a sculptor. He worked day & night on it for four years, under constant pressure to finish, until his eyes went bad. That was sad to hear. And then Pope Paul III brought another artist to paint clothing on some naked figures. I couldn't believe that the painting was only restored in the 1990s. The clothes were removed so Michelangelo's work was as he created it. That sucks for the other artist who had claim to part of the painting, just to have his work erased. But it's also cool that Michalengo's entire work is on view.
-The Pantheon is one of the greatest feats of engineering in the world. The builders built it on a huge, round hill of dirt,& then took the earth away when construction was completed. The hole in the center of the roof is called the oculus,& as the sun moves west through the sky, the sunshine moves around the room. Raphael is buried there.
-I loved looking up sites they mentioned, like the Piazza di Spagna, which I haven't seen before.
-They're said to speak the purest form of Italian in Siena & Florence.
Siena is a big university town. Florence is also called Firenze. Naples is called Napoli,& is the birthplace of pizza.
-In Siena, the Palio takes place in the piazza twice every summer, a competitive free for all on horseback the way it has for centuries.
-Siena was safe, small,& easy to navigate. Getting lost wasn't an option, because there were street signs everywhere pointing out tourist attractions & almost every street eventually led to the piazza del campo. Siena was designed for walkers, it's narrow streets not being able to handle heavy traffic.
-Michelangelo's David had been restored around 500 years after it was made, so he looks better than he did in hundreds of years. Michelangelo portrayed muscles & bones more accurately than any other artist of his time.
-The art at the Boboli Gardens reflected the Mannerism style, where it was designed to entertain people, so a lot of them have a sense of humor. They also had jets of water all over that squirted up randomly & soaked people.
-In medieval times, the higher you built, the richer you were. There used to be 70 towers at San Gimignano, but only 13 remained. Its a good example of what a thriving medieval community looked like. Cars aren't allowed in the city walls so you have to walk.
-Many meals in Italy were served family-style, on huge platters passed from person to person.
-Pompeii had lots of modern conveniences. The richest citizens had indoor plumbing with toilet seats. Pompeii's inhabitants came from all walks of life, filthy rich to penniless, aristocrats to slaves. They ate fast food, worked out in the gym, took saunas at the spa. They had laundries, bakeries, candy stores, jewelry shops,& bars. They had an open-air theater & sports arena for all sorts of entertainment. Temples allowed people to worship Greek, Roman & Egyptian deities. I didn't know they worshiped Egyptian.
All that was left were tourists & stray dogs that everyone fed & petted, because legend had it they were reincarnated victims of the lost city. That was really cool.
The people of Pompeii thought the world was coming to an end. Those who live near Pompeii know to enjoy every moment of life.
It's amazing that Pliny the Younger's two letters if the volcano were still valuable references for volcanologists and historians today.
-The keyhole made by Piranesi in Via di Santa Sabina that showed the Vatican was so cool!
Legend says if you toss a coin in La Cisterna, your wish goes straight into the heart of Rome & will surely come true.
Very cool Michelangelo's signature is on the sash of the Pieta.
Kelly met Joe at dinner,& I didn't really like him, & the very next day he walks up behind her saying "hey, babe" & hugging her waist. Who does that? They're talking & joking during the tour of the Forum. He calls her roommates losers,& was clearly a jerk.
Kelly was the roommate you don't want, she actually ate her roommates peanut butter.
She tells Minnie to update her wardrobe because guys like sophisticated, mysterious woman. She says she can do something with her hair to give it body & when Minnie gets affronted, she actually thought she was being helpful.
Sometimes teachers would be explaining something historical,& I wanted to hear it, but the author would cut it off as if it wasn't important. Like Marco's tour of the Forum. And Andrea about to explain the theories of why Michelangelo made David's upper half larger than the bottom. I guess I'll never know...
Kelly could be snobby,& incredibly unlikable; 'at home, she was friendly to everyone. Almost everyone. She at least tried to smile at the socially unfortunate students.'
Sheela was laughing & leaning towards Jarvis& Kelly said she knew how to have fun after all. 'Kelly felt strangely proud of her--she had learned from the master.' She's actually taking credit for that.
Joe smoked weed, which was gross. This didn't fit him at all: "there's a delightfully private alley just across the highway."
-Kelly saying "god, have you ever seen such a bunch of stiffs in your life? I can't believe Dr. W got them out of the library for a whole afternoon. I bet kids in Malibu aren't allowed to be this pasty."
She was late on her art assignment,& Andrea actually let's her turn it in a day later. When Joe asks her to go dancing, she says yes even though she has to work on her drawing. 'What could Kelly say? What Joe Leahy wanted, Joe Leahy got.' So because he said he gets what he wants, you can't ever say no to him?
What makes it worse is that her parents made her sign a list of rules, which she knowingly ignored.
Like finishing schoolwork before leisure activities & not drinking anything but wine.
Even after Joe's drunken episode waking up her roommates, she kept going out w/ him almost every night for two weeks,& she turned in her project a day after Andrea said she could.
Andrea mentioned famous artists. Kelly is annoyed that Sheela was writing them down. She knew Michelangelo,& Raphael & Bernini sounded familiar. The other ones meant nothing to her, & the author didn't mention any more. A quick search would show some more names. & if Kelly didn't know them, how about YOU write them down.
Because she didn't read the fact sheet, she doesn't wear the appropriate clothes for the Vatican,& misses the tour. She's actually irritated that Joe finds it funny. Bravo, girl. She realizes she was disrespecting a holy place,& knows that Andrea will tell Dr. Wainwright,& about how she's been late to class every day. She wonders if she'll be sent home. Her desire to change was too sudden. She decides to prove she deserves to be there,& never blow an assignment again.
There happens to be a cute guy named Luigi working at the Vatican. I could see where that was going. Very random& of course he gives her a VIP tour so she catches up w/ the group.
Even though she was gonna get on track, she still partied with Joe,& that's how she lost her locket. I applauded everything Sheela said, cause it was so true, saying she's immature, irresponsible & it reflected on her. Also when she overheard two girls saying she was a total brat,& used stuff w/o asking,& is having a fling w/ loser Joe. I thought that would open her eyes, but she goes directly to him after. Even though he laughs at the Vatican again, she still planned on seeing him.
She stupidly goes out w/ Joe even though she shouldn't be partying at all, & it takes him drugging her & another girl to get her to see he's a bad influence.
She didn't even tell on Joe & Rodney for drugging her & that girl.
I didn't like that Dr. Wainwright brushed off her behavior,& excused it. "I suspect that at home, you're a very well-adjusted person. You have a certain stature in your school, in your community, & in your family. Here, you were asked to start with a blank slate, to adjust all over again." Every student had to do that. And they're coping & thriving.
He also says that Joe is the worst person to ally yourself with & that "I strongly suspect that he is the catalyst for your lateness & lack of preparation in class on several occasions. And I'll wager he was one of the friends you were out with last night."
That puts the blame entirely on Joe, as if Kelly isn't a free-thinking human being with a brain of her own. She could have said no at any time.
She wonders if Sheela ratted her out, as if Sheela didn't have every right to do so if she did tell on her. All Wainwright did was tell her parents. And then she gets asked to paint a mural.
He hinted that Joe would be asked to leave,& I found that unfair that Joe would leave while Kelly gets to stay. She's the one late to class, when even Joe is on time. She's also late turning assignments in. Joe hasn't done that. He also knew what to wear to the Vatican. He's only broken curfew; Kelly's done a lot more. By all rights, she should leave Italy.
She thanks him for having faith in her, but not for letting her stay. She thinks 'maybe she really did deserve to be here' but you really don't.
It was very ironic when she tells Joe "anyone with half a brain would have hung you out to dry after what you did to me, not to mention poor Laura" because that's exactly what I've thought, it's like you don't have a brain where Joe's concerned. She says "you drugged us, for god's sake! Idt I can trust you anymore." Someone drugs you, & you DONT THINK you can trust them? She lost major points for actually wavering w/ Joe just because he looked remorseful.
Sheela tells Kelly that breaking up w/ Joe took serious guts & that if she didn't have so much backbone, she could have easily caved. Kelly has no backbone which is why she was in that mess with Joe & has screwed up her Italy trip in the first place. She's a weak willed idiot.
Kelly says once she realized what kind of person Joe was, it has been almost easy breaking up w/ him, but it wasn't because you almost caved. Loser.
Her phone call w/ her dad, where she's supposed to be reamed out, was as flat as Wainwright's was. Of course she doesn't get in trouble,& the missing locket takes precedence over her being late to class.
Of course to get Goth Girl's approval, she had to hear that Kelly broke curfew, went clubbing,& Wainwright found out about it.
Kelly tells Andrea that she bet she had tons of boyfriends & were super popular. Andrea says Kelly wouldn't have given her the time of day as a teenager, because we all need Kelly's approval.
She said she didn't have one date in HS,& if someone had asked her out she would have died of fright. That was so me in HS. Then she says "I was completely socially clueless" which I didn't care for. Kelly says her 'mind boggles at the thought of Andrea as a socially challenged outcast.'
This author was too into labels. If you're not a social butterfly, popular, or party crazy, then you're "socially clueless" or a "social outcast."
Being shy is normal,& relatable to a lot of people. So how about not making ppl feel bad about themselves by calling them clueless, losers, or outcasts?
She only covered two ends of the spectrum, too. You're either popular or an outcast. Nothing in between.
It sounded so much fun going to Siena, Florence, Pompeii & Naples.
I liked the tie in; "Kelly asked Andrea the million-euro question."
Kelly & the other art students even get a head start working on their final project, which everyone else won't start until after the trip. Special Kelly gets another break.
It was interesting how Luigi wanted to become an engineer in the 'great tradition of Romans before him.'
I was excited for them to go on the trip, I hated that last second drama where Kelly wanted to room with Marina on the trip,& Sheela got upset. Cut the crap.
Joe is antagonizing Minnie,& Kelly realizes Joe made fun of her roommates & she never defended them. So she asks Minnie to sit with her. She said style always interested her, but 'now, even though it went against all of her natural instincts, she knew it was time for her to start concentrating a whole lot more on substance.' Which was pretty big for her.
I loved the mention of Bed Head; I tried that for hair frizz!
Kelly noticed the American tourists were often slow, usually rude,& expected everyone to speak english. She was embarrassed by them and vows to work on her Italian.
Kelly asks Sheela if she remembered her telling her about Luigi from the Vatican info center, but that happened off page.
It sounded so much fun staying the night in the middle of an olive grove at a pensione run by a farmer& his wife.
There was no mystery whatsoever to who planted the drugs in Kelly's storage locker. She had just broken it off w/ Joe before the trip, he didn't have much time to plan something like that.
Earlier she said smoke made her eyes water & nose run or something, but she all of a sudden says she's allergic to smoke on pg 152. When Joe offered her weed, she didn't mention she was allergic to smoke.
There were curse words, even bastard, yet after Minnie calls Joe an asshole, she says she's glad Kelly dumped his behind. When Kelly tells marina that Joe framed her, she calls him a 'little turd.'
Sheela says "everybody knows you're allergic to smoke. You haven't stopped complaining about it all summer." Except we didn't,& she hasn't.
I love when Marina said you sure know how to pick em, when it turned out Joe framed her. Because she was seriously an idiot for liking Joe.
Kelly hit it right on the money when she said she doesn't deserve friends like Sheela and Marina.
She realizes she hasn't written to Starr,& that w/o talking of guys, hairstyles,& outfits she didn't have much to say. She wonders if her friends would think she's uncool now that she likes art & history. I thought she wouldn't wanna hang w/ them,& would want deeper friendships but then says if her and Sheela can get along, anything was possible. Her real friends would love her, whoever she was.
It was totally corny how Kelly finds a fresco that looks similar to Marina's mom. Her motorcycle riding, jeans & Tshirt wearing mom resembles an ancient fresco of a woman who was a poet,& Marina's mom happened to love poetry. Yeah right.
I found it very corny Luigi calls the very day she returned from Pompeii, 30 mins after she got back.
It was very interesting how Sheela and Minnie were writing the autobiography of a pompeiin teenager, having been inspired by Sappho of Pompeii.
I knew that the necklace would be found somehow& Wainwright even fixed the clasp. Because everything ends up perfect for Kelly.
Luigi said once in a while he gets to help beautiful, lost strangers, which is the best part of his job. And it made it seem like he does that with a lot of girls. He said "don't worry. You are one of a kind" which wasn't believable to me. He doesn't even know her. What about her is one of a kind?
Marina teases that she's already got her Italian couture wedding dress picked out, as if that relationship even hints of marriage.
Sheela's project was on oration. Orators wore togas & went to the forum to read famous speeches in Latin. It sounded so romantic to be there with the sunset lighting the forum,& the lights of the city behind it.
She said Sheela deserved a prize for facing up to her fear of public speaking, & it was strange how harrowing it was for her, while it was effortless for Kelly. It made me wonder what Kelly was afraid of. It was like she had no idea why Sheela was afraid of public speaking.
I thought it was rude how Kelly was bored by the orations & called Jarvis' speech gibberish, even in English she couldn't understand& had to force herself to listen to Sheela.
Of course Andrea tells her "the summer would have been dull without you." Are you calling all your students dull? Breaking curfew, staying out late. Just the student you want.
'She was a lot more than a pretty face; she knew that now.' Humble!
I wasn't interested at all in her letters to her friends. Idc about them.
Kelly didn't improve much. She only accepted people because they changed. Sheela had to start hanging out with a guy for Kelly to realize she could be fun. Otherwise she'd still be a social outcast.
This got better as it went along, when Joe finally got out of the picture,& they did some actual sight seeing & things in Italy. It ended sort of nice, but there wasn't much romance in here. Most of it was with the wrong guy. The MC & most everyone was unlikable.
Luigi didn't have much substance, sort of a cardboard character.
I liked the last lines: 'the afternoon sun streamed through the windows, glinting off the wings of planes arriving from all over the world. One journey was ending, but Kelly knew there would be many more.'
I don't get the point of authors writing characters that aren't likable. So I'm just irritated by them & not liking them the whole time. Why spend time with the bad boy most of the book,& barely include Luigi? I found that whole 'romance' random & severely lacking. There was no emotion when she'd kiss Joe or Luigi. It was just 'he kissed me,' not how it felt. I wondered why Joe even went if he wasn't interested in Italy.
This series looked so cute & sweet. It ended up being trashy w/ drugs, drinking, characters smoking weed & drugging two girls. The MC was so stupid to like Joe. He was clearly a jerk, & reminded me of guys from my H.S. She was self-centered, put everyone down, wasn't accepting in the slightest of others, judged people. The author gave everyone a label, & was seriously insulting to shy, quiet people. If you're that way you're socially inept, an outcast, unfortunate. Btw, if anyone's a loser, it's you Kelly, for falling for Joe.
Very disappointed with this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2018
3.0 our of 5 stars
I definitely read this as a teen too but I only vaguely remember reading it. However this is probably my least favorite of all the SASS books because Kelly is just such a bland and awful character at the beginning.
She wants to go to Italy because like duh there’s like so much like shopping and like hot boys. Right off the bat she starts hanging/dating this "bad boy" from California who literally DRUGS HER DRINK later in the book and yet she still sees no issue with blowing off studying, going out partying, and the fact that he somehow (and it wasn’t ever explained) got a master key so they could miss curfew without getting in trouble. So basically you’re wasting a study abroad program?! And I get that there are people that actually do this- trust me I’ve seen it happen, but if she was late all the time and missing as much class as she was I’m pretty sure the school would have stepped in.
Anyway.. it’s not until she is literally a social outcast and threatened to be sent home from the program that she sent SEVENTY EMAILS OR SO TO GET OFF THE WAIT LIST TO GET INTO that she finally is like of f*ck maybe I need to actually focus on this. That’s literally only the first half of the book, but the other ones in this series are the ones I tend to like better (like Pardon My French and French Kissmiss for example lol)
This one was just too spoiled rich girl for me. Plus she was too focused on trying to change everyone else than realizing that she should be focusing on her classes and it was too much like every 2000’s chick flick to me.
I definitely read this as a teen too but I only vaguely remember reading it. However this is probably my least favorite of all the SASS books because Kelly is just such a bland and awful character at the beginning.
She wants to go to Italy because like duh there’s like so much like shopping and like hot boys. Right off the bat she starts hanging/dating this "bad boy" from California who literally DRUGS HER DRINK later in the book and yet she still sees no issue with blowing off studying, going out partying, and the fact that he somehow (and it wasn’t ever explained) got a master key so they could miss curfew without getting in trouble. So basically you’re wasting a study abroad program?! And I get that there are people that actually do this- trust me I’ve seen it happen, but if she was late all the time and missing as much class as she was I’m pretty sure the school would have stepped in.
Anyway.. it’s not until she is literally a social outcast and threatened to be sent home from the program that she sent SEVENTY EMAILS OR SO TO GET OFF THE WAIT LIST TO GET INTO that she finally is like of f*ck maybe I need to actually focus on this. That’s literally only the first half of the book, but the other ones in this series are the ones I tend to like better (like Pardon My French and French Kissmiss for example lol)
This one was just too spoiled rich girl for me. Plus she was too focused on trying to change everyone else than realizing that she should be focusing on her classes and it was too much like every 2000’s chick flick to me.
August 16, 2013
Getting the Boot is the second book in the S.A.S.S. Series. The S.A.S.S. stories each take place during a student's time studying abroad. Getting the Boot follows the life of Kelly who is participating in an exchange program in Italy. Kelly as a character isn't great, in my opinion her friend Sheela would have been more interesting to have as the main character. Italy is very well described by Strauss, you can feel the personality of the different cities that are visited throughout the novel. Overall 2.5/5 stars; I have enjoyed other books in the S.A.S.S. Series more.
June 24, 2014
I enjoyed this book for its Italian setting, but the plot and the characters were weak. I thought the writing was sub-par and thought the story was a bit childish, a little too "O-M-G" for me, ya know? I thought it would be a fabulous summer read, but I was disappointed.
March 7, 2013
I think that this book and When Irish Guys are Smiling are both very good. The reason why I gave this book only two stars is because there was a lot of drugs and alcohol and just overall bad decisions. Not as bad as Eliza in Up Over Down Under, but pretty close.
June 12, 2011
I really like this series, because not only do you get summer romance, but real info about whatever country the girl travels too. Reading this made me really want to go to Italy lol. Fun, light read.
June 9, 2011
Sheesh, this is like another Pardon my French. It was just a complete girl's life all over again. Where was the fun in Rome? ...:|
March 19, 2025
I started reading this series in middle school when they were freshly published and I've decided to finish the collection as adult. They're much harder to find twenty years later. The Students Across the Seven Seas Series features the adventures of 14 teens traveling to different countries and learning about their culture. I've read about trips to England, France, Germany, Mexico, China, Japan, Sweden, Ireland, and Australia. Most of these books recycle the same formula: repeat a few words in a different language, blow off your homework, and kiss a handsome boy you'll never see again. These books aren't Moby Dick and I never expected them to be written that way. Getting the Boot has to be the worst, hands down. Getting the Boot is a pun on our heroine's destination: Italy. Our protagonist was a bonafide bonehead and I couldn't get over her poor decisions. The third POV kept jarring me and I had to reconfigure which person we were talking about each scene. All these boring white names blend together. I ended up skimming this book because I thoroughly unimpressed with the protagonist. She didn't do her classwork and was this close to being ejected from the program. What a dummy! I only have 4 books left to read in this series and I've exhausted my library's resources. I'll have to resort to book sales like I've done in the past. Wish me luck, or as they say in Italia: Buona Fortuna!
July 10, 2024
2.5/5 I love this series of books, but this one was somewhat of a letdown. The imagery and explanations of Italy are the best part of this book, it makes you want to visit! However, I wasn’t into Kelly’s story of going through the program. She gets in a relationship with a “bad boy” from the program and breaks curfew along with many other rules. She almost gets kicked out of school after one night he drugs her drink and she comes back very late and out-of-sorts. After this, she does turn herself around focusing back on her studies and her friendships (which yay for redemption!) She meets a nice local guy, which is a relationship the reader can be in favor of. But even after all of that she STILL breaks one of the rules her parents instated by riding on a Vespa (it’s randomly mentioned then never brought back up.) Overcoming challenges is necessary for so many stories, but I’m not sure this was the way to do it in this fun/light-hearted travel read. She does redeem herself by realizing that being a “spoiled brat” won’t get you anywhere, and she is a more kind/enjoyable person by the end. :.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2021
I didn't love this book. Maybe it was just because I found the character ignorant and self-centered and the boyfriend that she chooses annoying and stupid. I hope they make sequels of other books, just not this one.
July 21, 2022
2.5 stars, rounded down.
Kelly, the main character, wasn’t likable at all and had terrible taste in men. I loved Italy when I visited, and it was fun to see it again. The facts about life in Italy and the punny title were the best part.
Kelly, the main character, wasn’t likable at all and had terrible taste in men. I loved Italy when I visited, and it was fun to see it again. The facts about life in Italy and the punny title were the best part.
December 5, 2022
I really want to re-read this entire series because it gave me so much joy and comfort to read as a kid. I couldn't wait to tear into a new installment every time it showed up at my school library. I gotta get back into it for the nostalgia
August 22, 2018
Cute and fun read full of recognizable landmarks, especially since my own visit to Italy.
April 27, 2025
It's a book alright.
June 1, 2025
She’s supposed to have all this character development but I still don’t really fw her by the end
July 6, 2022
This book was ok, it was just fun easy to read.
The only couple things were some of the characters weren’t that well developed but also some of them were. Also, the conflict towards the end arose and was solved in the same chapter. I was really hoping to hear more about it but I wasn’t even fully explained what had happened. So that was frustrating.
But regardless, if you are looking for a quick and easy read I would recommend this!
The only couple things were some of the characters weren’t that well developed but also some of them were. Also, the conflict towards the end arose and was solved in the same chapter. I was really hoping to hear more about it but I wasn’t even fully explained what had happened. So that was frustrating.
But regardless, if you are looking for a quick and easy read I would recommend this!
April 17, 2011
I absolutely loved every word of this book. Even ask my friends, i couldn't put it down.
It is about a Chicago girl called Kelly who is a girly-girl, a shop-o-holic and doesn't really care too much about her grades. She has always wanted to have a romantic summer in Italy so when her old friend Sheela decides she is going on the S.A.S.S. programme over there she jumps at the opportunity. Sheela is so lovely and gets her on the programme (she would never of been able to do it my herself) and in return Kelly thinks that it is her duty to make sure that Sheela has fun for once in her life. But once they get to Italy is she the one that has to change? Maybe make better decisions on what she does and who she hangs out with?
Will Kelly finally achieve in an accedemic area or will she be sent back to America?
Getting the boot is a great book that teaches you a lot about achieving at school but also all about Italian art and history.
I would totally reccomend this book to anyone! :D
It is about a Chicago girl called Kelly who is a girly-girl, a shop-o-holic and doesn't really care too much about her grades. She has always wanted to have a romantic summer in Italy so when her old friend Sheela decides she is going on the S.A.S.S. programme over there she jumps at the opportunity. Sheela is so lovely and gets her on the programme (she would never of been able to do it my herself) and in return Kelly thinks that it is her duty to make sure that Sheela has fun for once in her life. But once they get to Italy is she the one that has to change? Maybe make better decisions on what she does and who she hangs out with?
Will Kelly finally achieve in an accedemic area or will she be sent back to America?
Getting the boot is a great book that teaches you a lot about achieving at school but also all about Italian art and history.
I would totally reccomend this book to anyone! :D
July 14, 2009
Cute. I love the idea of this series!
Kelly is your run-of-the-mill popular cheerleader type who gets a wild hair up her nose to study in Italy for the summer. Even though she doesn't quite measure up to her school of choice's standards, she studies hard, makes a nuisance of herself, and finally finds herself in Rome ready to start the program. But conflicts arise in the shape of irritating roommates, and a too-cute-but-nothing-but-trouble boy in the program. Joe convinces Kelly to stay out all night clubbing, and her grade begin to slip. Almost getting kicked out of the program wakes her up, and she begins to try to assimilate herself to the program. I love this series because it is all about the way travel changes you in amazing ways.
Kelly is your run-of-the-mill popular cheerleader type who gets a wild hair up her nose to study in Italy for the summer. Even though she doesn't quite measure up to her school of choice's standards, she studies hard, makes a nuisance of herself, and finally finds herself in Rome ready to start the program. But conflicts arise in the shape of irritating roommates, and a too-cute-but-nothing-but-trouble boy in the program. Joe convinces Kelly to stay out all night clubbing, and her grade begin to slip. Almost getting kicked out of the program wakes her up, and she begins to try to assimilate herself to the program. I love this series because it is all about the way travel changes you in amazing ways.
March 24, 2013
We are going to Italy this summer so I'm on this kick to want to read books and see movies set in Italy. I picked this up for my 11 year old 5th grade daughter but wanted to read it first because I was hesitant about the content. It was silly, all about meeting Italian boys and a snotty girl who cares only about herself and fashion. Of-course she comes around, blah, blah, blah, typical early teen stuff. I did enjoy the parts where she was visiting Italian landmarks but I wouldn't go pick up the rest of the series and indeed, it's not appropriate for an 11 year old due to drug and sex content.
April 19, 2015
This book is a reread.
Getting the boot follows Kelly on a summer overseas program in Italy. This book is a fluffy YA contemporary. It's just a fun and easy to read YA book. My opinion about this book might be a bit biased since Italy is on the top of my someday-go-to list. I love the country and I love art. This book explores those two things. Perfect combination for me.
The main character, Kelly, is a social butterfly. A total opposite of me, so I couldn't relate to her. But it's still fun to follow her exploring Italy.
Getting the boot follows Kelly on a summer overseas program in Italy. This book is a fluffy YA contemporary. It's just a fun and easy to read YA book. My opinion about this book might be a bit biased since Italy is on the top of my someday-go-to list. I love the country and I love art. This book explores those two things. Perfect combination for me.
The main character, Kelly, is a social butterfly. A total opposite of me, so I couldn't relate to her. But it's still fun to follow her exploring Italy.
April 29, 2008
Kelly is ready for life in fabulous Italy, with fashion and shopping high on her list, and maybe an Italian guy to give her sophistication. Instead, she gets a tiny dorm room to share with no AC and meets Joe, another student in the program. Joe likes to party, and Kelly is up for clubbing, but things turn ugly, and now Kelly is facing expulsion from the program. Will Kelly be booted from Italy?
February 7, 2012
was a quick read: predictable but fun too. I chose to read it because it served as a nice ice breaker to familiarize myself with the historical landmarks and important venues of Rome and Florence before I travel there myself during my upcoming spring break from school. I recommend this to a reader searching for chick-flick version of a summer in Italy. 
August 20, 2015
One of the best and unique books in the series,
This book doesn't just talk about the roman's culture and art but also a seventeen fashionable girl going aboard who dates a boy who is trouble who frames her.
I love this book a lot because the books in the series aren't this much interesting,
My favourite part of the book was when Kelly got accused of drugs even though it was Joe.
My favourite character was Kelly's friend ( i forgot who ) because all this time she was right about everything.
This book doesn't just talk about the roman's culture and art but also a seventeen fashionable girl going aboard who dates a boy who is trouble who frames her.
I love this book a lot because the books in the series aren't this much interesting,
My favourite part of the book was when Kelly got accused of drugs even though it was Joe.
My favourite character was Kelly's friend ( i forgot who ) because all this time she was right about everything.
July 12, 2020
Kelly OMG, personality dia mirip aku banget kayaknya kalau aku abroad juga pasti aku malah ngelakuin hal bodoh dan nggak fokus.
Disini cepat atau lambat kalau kita mau jadi orang yang lebih baik, biasanya kita harus menemukan sesuatu atau seseorang yang bisa menuntun kita kearah yang lebih baik itu.
Disini cepat atau lambat kalau kita mau jadi orang yang lebih baik, biasanya kita harus menemukan sesuatu atau seseorang yang bisa menuntun kita kearah yang lebih baik itu.
February 2, 2017
Oh, I loved this! Is there anything better than the glow of youth? Striking out on your own for the first time and feeling that the whole world is ahead of you and everything great is yet to come? That is exactly the experience and emotion this book portrays as Kelly enjoys her summer abroad in Rome.
November 18, 2023
this was a cute little book! it was a fun breezy read about a younger teen’s study abroad program in italy. they visit lots of different cities and she learns a few life lessons along the way. overall just cute and easy. very early 2000s with some of the ideas and lingo, but a sweet adventure nonetheless!
picked up at a little free library in IL, later gifted to a little free library in FL. 📚💞
picked up at a little free library in IL, later gifted to a little free library in FL. 📚💞
January 26, 2008
A great dissapointment... the book about the girl going on exchange to Italy should surely have had better names than "Kelly" and other American favorites. And the guy wasn't even Italian, he was just some American who was also on exchange? Shouldn't he heave been Italian? Tsk tsk tsk.
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