Five High School Dialogues by Ian Thomas Malone

When Ian Thomas Malone contacted me to review his new YA realistic fiction book, Five High School Dialogues, I was excited to read this unique book. I received my free review copy of his e-book yesterday and could not put it down! This book is basically five short stories written as a script and will be released on February 26, 2016.

George Tecce calls himself the Chief. As a high school teacher, he gives students advice about getting through their high school years. The first dialogue is mostly about respect. The second dialogue is about bullying and ways to deal with it. The third dialogue is about the risks of underage drinking. The fourth dialogue is about working well with others on group projects, and the fifth dialogue is about prom.

I like that Five High School Dialogues could help incoming high school students feel more relaxed about starting high school and know that there are staff members that can help. It could also inspire teachers to see other ways to interact with students. Overall, this engaging book is inspirational about how to handle certain situations, and teaches how to view things from a different perspective. I was impressed with how well I could personally relate to the group project situation.

I thought some parts were very eye-opening. For example, in dialogue one, the Chief says, "It’s not so much a matter of being expected to know everything. The simple problem is that by not knowing the answers to questions that your students ask, you can feel like your credibility is vulnerable." That never occurred to me before, as the book can help students also understand their teachers.

Some parts were funny as well. I found myself laughing out loud! My favorite passage of dialogue was the first one, as I felt it was the most insightful. The only part that I would change is to make the prom one a little shorter, as it took a while to get to the point.

I definitely recommend that high school students read Five High School Dialogues! If you are looking for a gift for college students, you may enjoy Five College Dialogues or Five More College Dialogues.

Title: Five High School Dialogues
Author: Ian Thomas Malone
Publisher: Eleventh Hour Literary Press
Pages: 255
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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