headlong, Kathe Koja

Koja, Kathe (2008).
headlong
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux
9780374329129
Genre: Realistic Fiction

High school sophomore Lily opens herself to new possibilities when, despite warnings, she becomes friends with “ghetto girl” Hazel, a new student at the private Vaughn School which Lily, following in her elitist mother’s footsteps, has attended since preschool.
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Lily Noble has attended the Vaughn School since preschool, and now as a junior, she seems restless and unhappy. She’s built a stellar reputation at the wealthy private school and when she meets and befriends Hazel, a girl from a urban public school, Lily’s teachers and parents warn Lily about the friendship and its effects on her reputation. The novel hopscotches back and forth between the beginning of Lily’s junior year and the end of the years. Readers witness the beginning of the friendship as well as its end. The author also includes memos written about the school and Lily’s progress. Readers will be more intrigued by subversive, sarcastic Hazel who initially doesn’t want to attend the Vaughn School. Later Lily and readers will think that Hazel has transitioned and become a representative of Vaughn- yet Koja surprises readers as the two girls drift apart. At points, Lily seems to idolize Hazel and gets caught up in the idea of Hazels’ family which consists of her gay brother and his partner. Astute readers will identify with Lily’s longing to fit in and find her place; superficial readers will probably think that Lily has a crush on Hazel! Koja deftly portrays the life at a boarding school; she captures the tone of the wealthy headmaster and the included memos allow readers to decide who is the best judge of character- the school staff or Lily or Hazel? Ultimately, both Likely and Hazel recognize and embrace their different backgrounds as they drift apart. Readers who look for Disney-type endings will have to look elsewhere!