Get ready to go on a hilarious adventure with Brady in the novel Four Things My Geeky-Jock-of-a-Best-Friend Must Do In Europe by Jane Harrington. Brady is tasked by her best friend Delia, to do four things Brady would never do while on her trip through Europe with her mom. To the shy geeky-jock Brady, the tasks seem too far out of her comfort zone. After all, she has enough to deal with if she is going on a trip with her crazy mother. But pressured to complete her friend’s tasks, humiliating but hilarious adventures find Brady and take her down a path she does not expect that .
Jane Harrington tells Brady’s story with humor and with a unique voice that feels like it really is a teen girl writing her own story through letters to her friend at home. Since this book was written in 2006, some of the references might seem a bit dated or even unrecognizable to young readers. Things like CDs and specific movies might turn down the cool factor of this book for readers, but the funny and relatable storytelling will make reading this book worth it.
Combined with Brady’s relatable tale, this is also a great book suggestion for someone who is looking for a short read. At only 160 pages in letter format, readers who do not like to read long or dense novels will find Four Things My Geeky-Jock-of-a-Best-Friend Must Do In Europe a great book choice.
Does it have a Young Adult label?: No
Recommended if you like stories with: friendship, European travel, challenges, humor
Favorite Quote: “I’m pathetic. You should start proceedings to divorce me as your best friend, because there is no hope for me ever. Ever. You should have seen me at the teen party tonight. It was total, public humiliation. I would jump overboard, but then there’d be the bigger public humiliation of a rescue. Running away once we land in Barcelona may be my only option. I can’t write this letter now, because I have to pack. Oh, OKAY. I’ll tell you about it. (THEN I’ll pack.)”
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