Struck by Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal by Chris Colfer - Paul's Pre Reading

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Title: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal
Author: Chris Colfer
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: Struck By Lightning: The Carson Phillips Journal follows the story of outcast high school senior Carson Phillips, who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker. At once laugh-out-loud funny, deliciously dark, and remarkably smart, Struck By Lightning unearths the dirt that lies just below the surface of high school. At a time when bullying torments so many young people today, this unique and important novel sheds light with humor and wit on an issue that deeply resonates with countless teens and readers.

Why?: Chris Colfer is best known for his role of Kurt Hummel on Glee. He has ventured outside his acting realm and into writing. I read his first book, the middle-grade The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. Although it was definitely written on a middle-grade level, I enjoyed it. Colfer's next creative endeavor was to write and act in his own original movie. That movie was then made into this young adult novel. Since the film was limited release I was not able to catch it in theaters. So, I decided to read the book first. 

Expectations:  I expect something more mature than his prior novel. I expect it to have the flow of a high school movie. I'm hoping for a diverse cast of characters. I've seen some publicity shots and the book itself has pictures in it, so I already have an idea of how some of the characters look in the movie. 

Judging a book by its cover: I like this cover. The literary elements of the book are shown with the pencil and paper. The broken pencil that looks like a lightning bolt is intriguing. Chris Colfer is also on the cover. It's always weird to have a character on the cover because I then think of how that character looks while reading, but with this book imaging Chris Colfer in this role is inevitable.  

-PAUL