Picture every mean, popular girl you’ve ever watched in a high school movie, now take the typical selfish, manipulative and spiteful behavior and add a healthy dose of insecurity: enter cheerleader, Tara Murphy. This beautiful senior with the (expected) gorgeous jock of a boyfriend thinks she can do whatever to whomever she wants and get away with it. Of course, she has a doormat of a best friend and spins her web around an unsuspecting freshman who has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. I’m sure it goes without saying, but expect plenty of drama. 

Folded Notes From High School is a funny extremely accurate story. (I know it, I lived it). Author Matt Boren’s debut novel is a totally sweet example of how things were back in the day. The detail that he includes is all that and a bag of chips, from the language to the fashion and even jewelry and music. You name it, he remembers it and makes reference to it. Adults looking to take a comical trip down memory lane or teens who might want to glimpse into their parents’ high school career should give Folded Notes From High School a read, it’s the bomb!

Review of an Advance Reader’s Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Razorbill

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  81 religious exclamations; 12 mild obscenities; 5 religious profanities; 8 derogatory names; 20 scatological words; 16 anatomical terms; 2 offensive hand gestures; 2 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  Few (7) brief incidents including character wants to beat up another; reference to a little girl punching a little boy; second-hand report of character breaking wrist and others getting in a fight; reference to character’s grandmother dying; second-hand report of a boy beating up kids who made fun of his little brother; reference to character tripping another who falls and hurts face; two references to character permanently damaging another’s ear.

Sex/Nudity:  Many (41) brief incidents (all of which are mentioned in notes) involving minors including several references to characters kissing; character imagines another is holding her; characters call another sexy; character says, “I will be dirty dancing all over your face”; many references to characters having sex; a few references to girl’s breasts; reference to the smell of sex; character asks another if he’s having sex with a girl; boy talks about maybe having sex with a girl; character thinks about another being naked; reference to the size of a character’s genitalia; reference to characters having sex with more than one character at the same time; character asks another what kind of kisser he is; reference to the size of breasts and feeling them; reference to character having a tattoo near his genitalia; reference to character getting sprayed between legs by skunk while having sex outside; character says he wants to have sex; innuendo; reference to character having an orgasm; implied masturbation; reference to character grabbing areas normally covered by bathing suit; reference to girl flashing boy at school.

Mature Subject Matter:

Many references to minors having sex; reference to marital problems; reference to character stealing.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Reference to father drinking alcohol; reference to high school students smoking marijuana; character wants to smoke and get plastered.