The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills

Reach for this book when your teenager feels like they are watching their peers from behind a glass wall, struggling to decode the confusing rituals of high school social life. It is an ideal choice for the child who identifies more as an observer than a participant, or who uses intellectualism as a shield against the vulnerability of wanting to belong. Janice Wills is a self proclaimed amateur anthropologist living in a small town. She treats prom and pep rallies like tribal ceremonies, documenting them with a witty, clinical detachment. As her carefully constructed persona begins to crack under the weight of real friendships and first crushes, the story explores the tension between being true to oneself and the universal need for connection. It is a smart, funny, and deeply relatable look at the masks we wear to survive adolescence.