Janice Wills knows she wants to be an anthropologist and study human culture. A high school junior, she has already conquered the textbooks that are required reading for college freshmen studying the subject. Janice would like nothing more than to travel the world and spend time with people who share her interest, but for now she is stuck in Melva, North Carolina for another couple of years. There she has to endure an age-old Melva ritual, competing in the Miss Livermush pageant. On the bright side, the pageant provides ample opportunities for anthropological observations. Janice's research has always allowed her to be somewhat removed from the high school fray, but what will happen when she finally lets herself become more of a participant than an observer?

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills is an engaging coming of age story with a clever premise. Janice is an intelligent and insightful teen girl whose observations about high school culture will ring true with readers. Looking at high school as an anthropological study gives Janice safe distance from potential horrors and humiliations of adolescence. But her close friends make her realize that this defense mechanism has led her to become removed from her own life. Navigating the balance between observation and judgment, Janice learns some valuable lessons about herself and the community in which she lives. After reading some of her anthropological observations, Janice's unattainable crush Jimmy throws some attention her way. She gains the courage to approach him after drinking her first beer, but he turns cruel following a brief kiss. When it becomes clear that Jimmy's bisexuality and resulting family tension is the source of his anger, Janice graciously keeps the information to herself rather than using it against him. Language is mild and infrequent (b-tchy, sh-t, a--hole, cr-p). This books is relatable, entertaining, and filled with positive messages about friendship, family, and being true to yourself.

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