The (Unhealthy) Breakfast Club by Monica Roe, 2020
The magic trick:
Big premise
This one should be a movie or a TV show. It’s perfectly suited with its specific but relatable characters and its big situation.
Big situation?
Yes, I’m sure there is a better term or turn of phrase. But what I mean is a premise that would dominate the answer to anyone asking, “What’s that story about?”
“Oh, it’s about four rural South Carolina kids to drive an hour-plus every day to go to an elite private school. How they try to fit in and stuff.”
That’s a big situation – one that could easily support a running YA series on Netflix.
And that’s quite a trick on Roe’s part.
The selection:
Two hours later, we get to school, where the parking lot always makes it impossible to forget how much separates us from most other Hammerlin kids. The drop-off line is jam-full with Audis, BMWs, Infinitis. More V-8s and leather seats and understated chrome than I’ve ever seen outside a dealership. The few pick-ups – huge and new – have clearly never hauled hay.
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