Crash Test: An Upper Class Novel
Fourth in Series by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne & Caroline Says
Fancy boarding school, securing a place at the top of the class, forgiving an ex-boyfriend and dabbling with a troublesome stranger are all elements that combine with fascinating readability in Crash Test.
Review of Crash Test
Crash Test is the fourth installment in The Upper Class series, co-written by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne and Caroline Says. Interestingly, all three co-authors attended the same prestigious boarding school which readers can assume much of the content for this series was drawn from.
The novel revolves around two girls in their junior year at the prestigious Wellington school in Connecticut: Laine who is struggling with issues of homesickness and is carrying a torch for a lacrosse player and Parker who is torn between Chase, the boy whose done her wrong and a dangerous new stranger, Jamie.
What is most immediately felt about the book is the way the authors characterize the girls. They are all given a well-rounded identity and none conform to the traditional prep school stereotype. They are deeply drawn, as far as young adult novels go, and they are complex to boot.
Another refreshing element of this book is that it is written rather well. A reader can easily imagine the book being transferred to TV, as it offers clear carry-over potential. Crash Test is surprisingly lyrical and offers readers both compelling characters and well-written story lines. While it does help to have read the previous books in the series before jumping into this one, it is fine as a stand-alone book for those looking for a brief peek into the lives of upper class teens.
The Upper Class Series Vs. Gossip Girl Series
It's difficult to think of a young adult fiction series and not make initial comparisons to the reining teen fiction powerhouse, Gossip Girl. But in all fairness to both series, there is little similarities to be drawn between the two. While the Gossip Girl crew is off indulging in all kinds of debauchery, often with little or no consequences for their morally questionable behaviors, the students of The Upper Class series have paid the price for their decisions.
Though both series revolve around posh, private school life, the students in Wellington, The Upper Class's answer to the Upper East Side's Constance Billard School, tend to be focused on social class issues, family drama and less on the seedy, blush-worthy elements of their literary competition. The Upper Class series gets points for its superior writing and multi-faceted characters.
Book Stats:
Crash Test by Hobson Brown, Taylor Materne and Caroline Says
ISBN# 006085085X
HarperTeen, 2008
Paperback, 278 pages
Crash Test latest in Upper Class Series
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