Juniors

1

THE PUNAHOU PEER COUNSELORS ARE TRYING TO LEAD a gym full of juniors on a truth walk. Our ethics classes merged, so about fifty of us are against the wall of the gym, waiting to do whatever our peers have planned so we can be on our way to fulfilling our Spiritual, Ethical, Community Responsibility requirement for our spring semester. Sheri Ho stands before us in jean shorts that barely pass dress code. She s a senior, cute and well-liked, but not cool. I think to be cool at Punahou, you have to drink (but not too much) and hook up (but not too much). As a peer counselor who wears a platinum promise ring, she does neither. But maybe I m wrong about what cool is. There are so many variations here. It s like looking at a menu for shave ice. Countless flavors and colors; even weird-sounding things like pickled mango or green tea can be really good and popular.

My mom and I moved here in December, and I started mid-junior year, which I think is totally rare. So, two months at this place, but it may as well be my first day. I ve adjusted to some things the academics, how much harder it is than my last school the offerings and choices, the campus itself, which is the size of a university. It s the biggest private school in the US.

I ve been playing catch-up socially too, scoping things out, getting the lay of the humid Hawaiian land. I feel like a surveyor or a pioneer, trying to know the ground I m standing on and figure out where to stake my flag and settle. My mother grew up here, so we ve visited a lot, but being a visitor is very different from living in Hawaii, especially when you re going to high school.

Sheri whistles, then speaks in a loud, cheerleader-like voice.

Okay, gang. Settle in, settle down. Four other counselors stand by her, moving to some kind of imaginary music, but now that the group has quieted down I realize music really is playing. My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.

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Kaui Hart Hemmings is the author of The Descendants, a New York Times bestselling novel and Oscar-winning film for best adapted screenplay; House of Thieves, a collection of short stories; and her most recent novel, The Possibilities, has been optioned for film by Jason Reitman. Kaui lives in Hawaii with her family.  

Juniors is her first novel for young adults.

Praise for JUNIORS

"There s a lot of teenage angst, and this is a perfect YA for either a warm summer day or while curled up in the rain wanting to travel to the beach (in your head!)"--USA TODAY'S Happy Ever After

"Friendship and romance brush cheek to cheek in a story that deals frankly withrace, class, and culture while also managing to wonderfully portray the luminous, dreamlike setting ofHawaii. A perfect complement to the shelves of readers who follow Jenny Han and E. Lockhart."--Booklist

* Wryly funny, generous-hearted, garnished with sun, surfing, and shave ice a genuinely literary beach read. Kirkus Reviews, starred review 

"A well-paced plot, fully developed and authentic characters, and a multifaceted and integrated setting will pull in reluctant and avid readers, alike. Fans of realistic fiction will eat up the intensity of Lea s angst as she adjusts to her new lifestyle, new friends, and possible romance . . . VERDICT Recommended purchase for collections where contemporary teen fiction flies off the shelves."--SLJ