Headlong

"What sets Vaughn apart is the quality of our girls. We do draw from all over, girls from every kind of background, girls for whom Vaughn is a major life experience. And not every girl is the right girl for Vaughn. You can often tell, early on, who these girls are. " The Vaughn School. Home of domed ceilings, gleaming checkerboard floors, and the Vaughn Virgins: the upper stratum of girls who have perfect grades, perfect lives, and perfect friends. Lily Noble is a lifer - she knows all the rules. Then sophomore year, Hazel Tobias arrives as a scholarship student, with her model's looks and unconventional family, and shows Lily everything she's been missing. Can you ever fit in someplace you don't want to be? As Lily befriends Hazel, both girls discover what it means to dive deep beneath the surface - of friendship, of commitment - and to live life with all their hearts, with all they are, headlong.

About the Author :
KATHE KOJA is the author of several notable books for young adults that have been acclaimed for their psychological intensity, including "The Blue Mirror "and "Buddha Boy," both ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and, most recently, "Kissing the Bee." She lives near Detroit, Michigan.

Review :
"The book takes place at an elite prep school, a haven for the children of the rich, but there the similarity to "Gossip Girl" ends; "Headlong" is a closely observed tale of a privileged girl beginning to perceive the constraints of her background, who channels her restlessness into a friendship with an emotionally elusive free spirit." --"The New Yorker"'s Book Bench Blog v"Besides reliably recreating the dynamics of teen-girl friendship, Koja ("Kissing the Bee") relays this story with her usual insight and, through her lightning-fast characterizations, an ability to project multiple perspectives simultaneously." --Starred, "Publishers Weekly" "This is an excellent character study . . . and an in-depth look at how real friendships demand a soul-searching dive beneath the nature of one's own feelings while trying to understand the complexity of another's." "--School Library Journal ""This lovely story portrays friendship--what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book." "--VOYA" "Koja is one of the treasures of fiction, and of young adult fiction especially." --Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother," on boingboing.net "Boarding school stories may not be a rarity, but one that sounds the prep-school caste system with such probity certainly is." --"Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ""An engaging, haunting novel." --"Kliatt ""Anyone who has had to make a tough, possibly life-altering decision can relate to Lily's character and the pressure she feels from the people around her." --"ALAN"'s Online Picks "Koja creates compelling, nuanced characters." --"Kirkus Reviews ""Teen girls passing through a tentative dark and edgy phase will dive in and claim this book as their own."" --Booklist" “The book takes place at an élite prep school, a haven for the children of the rich, but there the similarity to “Gossip Girl” ends; “Headlong” is a closely observed tale of a privileged girl beginning to perceive the constraints of her background, who channels her restlessness into a friendship with an emotionally elusive free spirit.” —"The New Yorker"'s Book Bench Blog v“Besides reliably recreating the dynamics of teen-girl friendship, Koja ("Kissing the Bee") relays this story with her usual insight and, through her lightning-fast characterizations, an ability to project multiple perspectives simultaneously.” —Starred, "Publishers Weekly" “This is an excellent character study . . . and an in-depth look at how real friendships demand a soul-searching dive beneath the nature of one’s own feelings while trying to understand the complexity of another’s.” "—School Library Journal "The book takes place at an elite prep school, a haven for the children of the rich, but there the similarity to "Gossip Girl" ends; "Headlong" is a closely observed tale of a privileged girl beginning to perceive the constraints of her background, who channels her restlessness into a friendship with an emotionally elusive free spirit." --"The New Yorker"'s Book Bench Blogv"Besides reliably recreating the dynamics of teen-girl friendship, Koja ("Kissing the Bee") relays this story with her usual insight and, through her lightning-fast characterizations, an ability to project multiple perspectives simultaneously." --Starred, "Publishers Weekly" "This is an excellent character study . . . and an in-depth look at how real friendships demand a soul-searching dive beneath the nature of one's own feelings while trying to understand the complexity of another's." "--School Library Journal ""This lovely story portrays friendship--what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book." "--VOYA" "Koja is one of the treasures of fiction, and of young adult fiction especially." --Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother," on boingboing.net "Boarding school stories may not be a rarity, but one that sounds the prep-school caste system with such probity certainly is." --"Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ""An engaging, haunting novel." --"Kliatt ""Anyone who has had to make a tough, possibly life-altering decision can relate to Lily's character and the pressure she feels from the people around her." --"ALAN"'s Online Picks "Koja creates compelling, nuanced characters." --"Kirkus Reviews ""Teen girls passing through atentative dark and edgy phase will dive in and claim this book as their own."" --Booklist" "Besides reliably recreating the dynamics of teen-girl friendship, Koja ("Kissing the Bee") relays this story with her usual insight and, through her lightning-fast characterizations, an ability to project multiple perspectives simultaneously." --Starred, "Publishers Weekly" "This is an excellent character study . . . and an in-depth look at how real friendships demand a soul-searching dive beneath the nature of one's own feelings while trying to understand the complexity of another's." "--School Library Journal ""This lovely story portrays friendship--what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book." "--VOYA" "Koja is one of the treasures of fiction, and of young adult fiction especially." --Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother," on boingboing.net "Anyone who has had to make a tough, possibly life-altering decision can relate to Lily's character and the pressure she feels from the people around her." --"ALAN"'s Online Picks "Koja creates compelling, nuanced characters." --"Kirkus Reviews ""Teen girls passing through a tentative dark and edgy phase will dive in and claim this book as their own."" --Booklist" "This is an excellent character study . . . and an in-depth look at how real friendships demand a soul-searching dive beneath the nature of one's own feelings while trying to understand the complexity of another's." "--School Library Journal""This lovely story portrays friendship--what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book." "--VOYA" "Anyone who has had to make a tough, possibly life-altering decision can relate to Lily's character and the pressure she feels from the people around her." --"ALAN"'s Online Picks "Koja creates compelling, nuanced characters." --"Kirkus Reviews" "This lovely story portrays friendship--what it is and what it is not. Many teen girls will wish themselves into this book." "--VOYA" "Anyone who has had to make a tough, possibly life-altering decision can relate to Lily's character and the pressure she feels from the people around her." --"ALAN"'s Online Picks "Koja creates compelling, nuanced characters." --"Kirkus Reviews"