High school is ending. After an entire life spent in second place, Mary Gilhooley hopes the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt will be her chance to finally come out on top. Jake Barbone may be going to Georgetown instead of her, cute Carson might be dating someone else, but this scavenger hunt is Mary’s.
Even if her misfit friends decide to prepare by wearing the least practical scavenger hunt outfits ever. Sure, changing Dez’s mind about anything fashion related was hopeless. But did Patrick really need knee socks with his shorts? Or suspenders? And why would Winter wear a dress and platform flip-flops? Doesn’t the rest of her team know that Mary came to Win with a capital W?
One all-day scavenger hunt, two lawn ornaments, three meltdowns, four relationship fails, nostalgia, and one incredibly daring stunt stand between Mary’s team and victory. Or utter failure in The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life (2012) by Tara Altebrando.
At 239 pages (hardcover) The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life is the short, fast-paced read you would expect from a scavenger hunt odyssey. Filled with hijinks and tricky clues, Altebrando draws readers into the Official Unofficial hunt right along with Mary and her misfit friends that you can’t help but love.
Between brainstorming sessions and high-action competition, Altebrando includes thoughtful musings on what the end of high school really means for old friends and new beginnings. Truly, this book is the quintessential end-of-high-school read as Mary and her friends all wonder what the future holds. The blend of excitement, adventure, and sometimes dread only adds to the delightful ride that is The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life.
Possible Pairings: Never, Always, Sometimes by Adi Alsaid, A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody, Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert, Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley, Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein, Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen, In Real Life by Jessica Love, The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta, Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, Love and Other Foreign Words by Erin McCahan, Even in Paradise by Chelsey Philpot, Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales, The Night of Your Life by Lydia Sharp, Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith, Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
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