I was drawn in to The Beginner’s Guide to Winning an Election right from the beginning. There were a few  things that pulled me in:

French’s descriptive writing made me “see” Brit as if I were watching the story unfold on the big screen.

Brit’s character was one every student can relate to – this may be a futuristic novel, but the scenarios could take place today (or 20 years ago when I was in school).  I particularly related to the feelings of loss and peer pressure surrounding Brit’s very first campaign.

I was drawn to the story from the very beginning, but the fast-pace kept me engaged throughout. There were pearls of wisdom I gathered while enjoying the adventure – wisdom such as:

• Be careful not to let someone else’s attacks define you before you define yourself. (84)
• Fighting back through positivity is the only way to fight back – though you can never silence the haters completely. (94)
• Being clever and persistent are admirable. (119)
• The whisper of truth ultimately is louder than the roar of deception. (198)
• Most battles worth fighting were ultimately waged in the trenches. (260)

I love that Brit encountered the same types of troubles our teens today do – bullying, social media, cyberspace, finances, etc… and this story is expertly woven and tremendously believable. Whether you have a love or hate relationship with politics (or a love/hate relationship), there is a great benefit to reading and experiencing Brit finding her political voice   I admire Brit’s drive (med school, the election, etc…) and how she gives her whole self to everything she does. I imagine the author, Michael R. French, is much like his main character in The Beginner’s Guide to Winning an Election. This book is well written and the editing is spot on. There were no parts of the story where I felt the pace slowed. I was truly engaged from beginning to end. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone (including my middle school readers).