Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Charming as a Verb
- Author: Ben Philippe
- ISBN: 0062824147
- Publisher: Balzer & Bray
- Copyright Date: October 12, 2020
Genre: Coming of Age/Contemporary Fiction/Realisic Fiction/Romance
Format: Book
Awards/Honors: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults nominee 2021
Reading Level/Interest Level: Teens grade 10-12, Ages 15-18 (Baker & Taylor Titlesource360)
Plot Summary: Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger is a charming, popular, student, star debater, and owner of a “fake” dog walking corporation, Uptown Updogs. The truth is, Henri is the only employee of the dog walking service, but feels that his clients will trust him more if they think he works for a large company. Henri is the son of Haitian immigrants and his father is convinced that Henri will go to Columbia. Henri is under a tremendous amount of pressure to please his father, keep up his grades in school, perform on the debate team, and keep his dog walking clients happy. His plan starts to fall apart when his neighbor, Corrine, discovers his dog walking scam and tries to blackmail him. Corrine is a star student but lacks social skills. She is afraid she won’t get the teacher recommendations needed to get into Princeton. She convinces Henri to teach her how to be more social in exchange for her secrecy. Henri learns that Corrine’s mother is a dean at Columbia and feels that he can use this situation to his advantage. As the two become close friends, Henri makes some decisions that will change the course of his education and his life.
Author Background: Ben Philippe was born in Haiti and raised in Montreal, Canada. He received his B.A. from Columbia University in 2011 and his M.F.A. in Fiction and Screen Writing from Univeristy of Texas in Ausitn in 2014. Philippe has written for many publications, including Vanity Fair, Play Boy, The Guardian, and Thrillist. He is the author of the novel The Field Guide to the North American Teenager, which won the William C. Morris Award in 2020 (Harper Collins, 2021). He also wrote a collection of essays, Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump in April 2021. Philippe lives in New York and teaches film studies and screenwriting at Barnard College (Ben Philippe, 2021).
Critical Evaluation: Charming as a Verb is a funny, charming, easy-to-read novel. It is written in the first-person narrative of Henri. Henri is likeable and charming, and his character is well developed. Many of the secondary characters are well developed, as well. The characters are racially and economically diverse, but it is not at the center of the plot. The story is written well, and although the book is about being yourself and accepting who you are, it has a little different twist than most books with this theme. The story is set in New York City and Philippe really captures the feel of New York and its residents. Many teens will relate to the pressure to achieve academically and socially put on them by their parents, friends, schools, and themselves. This is a fun, feel-good read that they will enjoy.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Since much of the story of Charming as a Verb was centered around academic pressure and getting into the “right” colleges, and since Henri ran a dog walking service, I would have therapy dogs come to the library around SAT time or Finals. Dogs are proven to reduce stress. The teens could take a break from their studies to hang with the pups.
Speed-Round Book Talk: What would you do to get into your dream college? Would you take a chance that could ruin your life? Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger is popular, charming, funny, hard-working, and smart. Henri and his family have their sights set on him going to Columbia, but what if he doesn’t get in? Read Charming as a Verb and find out!
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: I do think there will be any challenges to this book.
Reason for Inclusion: I included Charming as a Verb because it is a fun, charming, humorous story that many teens will relate to. The book has positive messages about being yourself, following your dreams, and not putting too much pressure on yourself. It is written well and moves at a fast pace. Ben Philippe’s first book, The Field Guide to the North American Teenager was very popular with teens, and I feel that this book will be, as well.
References:
Ben Philippe. (2021). About the author. Retrieved from http://benphilippe.com/about/
Harper Collins. (2021). Ben Philppe. Retrieved from https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/ben-philippe
MCDS LRC. (2021, March 30). Charming as a Verb book talk. [Video]. YouTube. Retieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=940uenoJQmk&t=151s&ab_channel=MCDSLRC
Mississauga Library. (2021, May 7). Author Talks | Ben Philippe. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXWCTJWJr6E&ab_channel=MississaugaLibrary
Debby's YA Mini Library Collection 