The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson

Performance and public shaming are often virtually identical experiences, differentiated only by context. And often even then, not that different.

The Rites & Wrongs of Janice Wills was another of the books I picked up in preparation for Teen Book Con (the blog post covering that event is coming soon) in an attempt to read as much as I could from the authors that would be making appearances. Of course, I started working on this pretty late (probably two weeks in advance), so I only managed to pencil in a few new authors, but Joanna Pearson made her way into the list of those I managed to get to in time. At least, she would have been, if she had been on the list. Apparently, I grabbed the wrong book, but it was worth it.

When aspiring anthropologist, Janice Wills, enters her junior year, she is expected to participate in the Miss Livermush pageant along with the rest of the girls in her grade. After all, it's only the most important event of her high school experience (at least in the eyes of everyone else in town). Janice has other priorities: like studying the people around her, making anthropological observations, and doing her best to get an article published in Anthropology Today.

Her approach to life is standing outside of it, doing her best to watch and judge while not actually participating. This is what helps her survive the high school hierarchy. However, when her aloof attitude starts drawing in the wrong people and pushing away the ones that have always been there for her, Janice starts to realize that maybe she isn't as unbiased as she thought. And maybe you have to dive into the world around you, even if it's uncharted territory.

This was an adorable book. I really enjoyed Janice and getting to walk alongside her as she learned how to become the person she wanted to be. The subject of anthropology has always been fascinating to me and I loved seeing an author take an interesting topic and wrap it around a lovely coming of age story. This was a fun, light read. One of those quick books that I really enjoyed losing myself in.

Rating: ★★★★☆

"No, no, no, Janice," he said. "I thought you were a better anthropologist than that! You have the entire art of adolescent survival all wrong! You don't hide your weirdnesses. You embrace them, thereby making them cool."