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The Year of Secret Assignments
The Year of Secret Assignments
The Year of Secret Assignments
Audiobook9 hours

The Year of Secret Assignments

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

This Booklist Editor's Choice interweaves the writings of six Australian highschoolers. When an English assignment forces "snobby" Ashbury students Lydia, Emily, and Cassie to exchange letters with "low-life" Brookfield guys, Lydia and Emily are surprised to find their Brookfield pen pals so kind and civilized. But after Cassie's cross-town correspondent threatens her, the friends plan a series of madcap missions designed to teach this malevolent male a lesson he won't forget.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 10, 2008
ISBN9781440798245
The Year of Secret Assignments
Author

Jaclyn Moriarty

Jaclyn Moriarty is the bestselling author of novels for young adults including Feeling Sorry for Celia, The Year of Secret Assignments, and the Colours of Madeleine trilogy. She has been the recipient of the NSW Premier’s Literary Award, the Queensland Literary Award, and the Aurealis Award for Fantasy. Jaclyn grew up in Sydney, lived in England, the United States, and Canada, and now lives in Sydney again. She is very fond of chocolate, blueberries, ice-skating and sleep.

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Reviews for The Year of Secret Assignments

Rating: 3.9579206547029697 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very cute and clever. :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Australian teenagers learn about love, classism, death, friendship.... and we watch them via letters, bulletins, e-mails.... Lots of fun and some excitement, too. Good because the characters were fully realized and their adventures unpredictable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Let me just start by saying I do t like epistolary novels. I like the word "epistolary", but the books themselves have always left me feeling removed and frustrated with a story. With the cast of Lydia, Cassie, Emily, Seb, Charlie, and even Matthew, the letters were a rich, satisfying, effective window into their world. Regardless of content or form, I can't wait to read more by this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Finding Cassie Crazy has been recommended to me by several
    Invidivuals. I’m kicking myself for
    Not reading it sooner because I found it hilarious. I’ve been
    Delaying writing a review for it, though, because
    I can’t figure out what was so special about it beyond its humor.
    Nothing is so spectacular about the plot (pen pals from private and public school), but each of the
    Girls and, well, most of the guy characters were
    Charismatic and/or charming. The
    Author of this series, of which Finding Cassie Crazy is second, is a former lawyer and it
    Shows in her jokes. I laughed out loud when Emily’s brother
    Served her papers to summon her to dinner.
    I could connect with each pair of pen friends (Aussie word for pen pals), though I got
    Excited every time I read about Lydia and Seb, as they seemed to
    Care about each other and their friends the most. (and I liked their “dating”)
    Released in the US under the title of “The Year of Secret Assignments,” for reasons
    Absolutely unknown to me (what the heck is wrong with the title “Finding Cassie Crazy”?),
    Zis book is lots of fun. (You have to say this line with an accent. I bet you were wondering how I’d work a ‘z’ in here.)
    You should read this.

    Don't you miss doing acrostics in school? It was always hard to think of 'y' adjectives for my name. Don't worry, I got to include fun, fiesty, fabulous, and the other 'f' adjectives that not too many people get:) Anyway, this book is a fun read for those who enjoy epistolary YA and don't take things too seriously.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Review by: Shakespeare Told through a series of letters and journal entries, The Year of Secret Assignments is about two rival Australian schools that write letters to each other through two English classes. What starts out as a couple of awkward kids turns into a romance between Em, Lyd, and Cass and Charlie, Seb, and Matthew. Fire alarms, secret missions, and mistaken identities convert into a battle between the schools that ends with a stolen car, lock picking, and section 93IH of the Crimes Act, New South Wales. And some really excellent kissing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is a great, funny, light read about a group of friends in Australia who are forced to have penpals at a nearby school. The most interesting part was the format, it was written entirely in the form of letters, diary entries, notes, etc. It switches perspectives in a fun and engaging way. I highly reommend it to teen girls especially looking for fun comedy novels.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the story of three friends and their pen-pals from a rival school, told through letters, notebooks, and diary entries. The rich girls from Ashbury learn a little more about life from their male pen-pals from poorer Brookfield. But not all the boys are what they seem, and when one of the girls is terribly harassed, her friends, old and new, come together to avenge her!Very cute and hilarious, I would recommend this to older middle school and high school students, mostly for girls.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I loved the way this novel was written as an epistolary but the story was boring and predictable, maybe I am biased to of hated it from the begining because I hate romance novels and didn't realize that this would turn into one but the story line of mistaken identities and pranks were the typical pull the fire alarm and spray graffiti and were just not interesting enough. The three female characters friendship was to unrealistic the romantic relationships began to quickly. The book didn't hold my attention and was hard to finish, but if you like to read books that are written in all letters and emails format or like romance novels then maybe it is for you.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this just as much as the first! It is spunky and fun and fast paced. It can be read as a standalone novel, but I enjoyed reading it with the previous knowledge from the first book. Although it can be a little confusing with all the changing characters, Jaclyn Moriarty somehow makes it easy to follow, and you find yourself getting lost in the countelss letters, notebooks, and diaries. very good read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME: i want a book thats remotely close to this book. (not ttyl series , please) i just absolutely this quirky and silly type of book. In the beginning it was a little hard to keep up as to who was sending who to what and when. But after a while everything started to mix together. So many issues brought up in it that it just "fit". i'm usually used to books thats more young adult and this seemed a bit...middle school? but somehow i loved it? haha. i dont like the book with Bindy though...not at all. i couldn't even finish it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really enjoyed this book. It is written in a diary/journal format, which doesn't always work for me. But the character voices in this book are strong, and the journal format is used to enhance the mystery/suspense aspects of the story without being too gimmicky or cutesy. The diaries and letters actually alternate between six characters, and the characters generally share "screen time" in three boy/girl pairings. The author does a good job of directing traffic, although some of the sections where a new set of characters would retread the seem information just shared from another perspective felt repetitive.Additionally, I felt the big, climactic high school scene that seems to be perfunctory in some YA books was a bit forced, although quite funny at times (it includes the introduction of a seventh narrator that will surprise you!) The best part of this book is probably the way that the characters are believable high schoolers. They never seem generic and they aren't overly adult or at all stereotypical. They seem very much like normal, funny, smart high school kids. The focus here is also not cliques and the cool crowd versus the nerds. The three main characters -- Cassie, Lydia, and Emily -- do form a bit of a clique through their close-knit friendship, but it isn't in opposition to other students and it feels natural. They are aware of the power of their close friendship and actively cultivate it, it's not just a "Mean Girls" strategy...it's a real, dynamic friendship that sees them through family problems as well as school problems.Overall, I would recommend this book, especially if you have enjoyed other witty, diary-themed books. Some of Meg Cabot's books come to mind, or even Aly Carter's spy series, which are technically written as "reports."
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had mixed feelings about this book. I mean, the format was definitely different, which was cool, but I also think it some of the story could have been told in normal format. That may have added to it and filled in gaps. It was really cute sometimes and I love the friendship between the three girls and the whole story line, really. I just thought more could have been done with it. It was just slow sometimes, but it's still a good read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cute book. Three heroines tell their stories via letters written back and forth to boys at a rival school.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is probably the BEST YA novel I've ever, EVER read!I like it, seriously. At the beginning I couldn't decide which character I like most of all. While I read Lydia's notes I thought she was the favorite. Then Emily became my choice. And then I changed my mind again as Charlie and Seb appeared on stage.Seriously, this book is almost like a play. In the theatre of my head. Don't call me stupid, but it includes all the thing a good play should include: humour and tragedy, love and friendship, monologues and witty dialogues, crazy and lovable characters... oh, and this hilarious court at the end!Ohmigod! I'm going to keep this book in safe for many-many years so my future child (whether it will be a boy or a girl) will read it and like it as much as I do!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This fun, funny, and sweet novel is told entirely through letters and emails between students at two rival high schools. The three girls, all students at the private Ashbury school, exchange letters with three boys from the public Brookfield school as a penpal assignment for English class. The girls' English teacher encourages them to find "The magic of the Envelope," and all three jump in with surprising results. There is a very nice romantic subplot here, which is predictable but not boring, but the main draw is the devoted friendship between Lydia, Cassie, and Emily. It's letter-oriented format and slightly twisted sense of humor should increase its appeal to those who have very little time for reading, or who like to do their reading in small bites. I enjoyed it very much, and ran right out to the bookstore to buy the companion novel, The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Three girls, three guys, and a class project. They have to write letters between two schools, and the girls think they might have found some great guys. A mix of romance, heartbreak, and fun this book was really enjoyable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A great story told in an engaging way. I loved the voices of the teens in here. The girls are larger than life and lovable - with their faults portrayed in a way that makes you like them and their "realness" even more. I loved the twist and the sly jokes the author shares with you. Girls can read and experience the solidarity of a group of girlfriends who stay loyal through tragedy and comedy.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a great, addictive, but entertaining book. It was an easy read, and that's why I read it very fast. It was a hilarious book. I would start laughing randomly, and my sister would stare at me.This book was about three girls and three boys who go to rival high schools who send letters to each other as part of a pen pal project. A very fun book, I highly recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is more of a teen read, but I'm really enjoying it. The interactions are fun, and they made reference to Vegemite, the concentrated yeast extract "peanut butter" equivalent of Australia. Yummy! I think this book may hold the answer to the dismal adult collection offerings at my local library, and it lies in the Teen Reads section! Sure, this book may have some language issues as far as conservatives may be concerned, but I believe this is a valuable read for high school classrooms. So much of teen culture in schools has to do with getting along with peers or not, finding one's voice and having the courage to speak up, learning who one really is, etc., but there is also the common experience of getting into fights and making up, figuring things out on one's own, learning responsibility and making it work for one istead of holding him/her down. These are lessons everyone learns in adolescence, so it was nice for me to have that trip down memory lane. I swear I felt and did some of the same things, even though I am American and my criminal activity took other forms. This book shows how corresponding with others or even with one's own thoughts can help with that, since it was ingenuiously told through written "artifacts" alone. Maybe that can lead to something more in the classroom. If not, I think it is worth it to show students how this book was laid out and all of the planning/structuring that surely went into it. Also, the convention of Emily using the wrong words would be a good thing to explore.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Somewhat predictable but also enjoyable. Written mostly in letter-form between five main characters from rival schools. Easy, quick to finish. Definitely one for YAs only - I don't think adults who are usually into YA would find this appealing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This epistolary young adult novel is wrapped around this concept: two English teachers at rival high schools match up students into pairs as pen-pals. Their letters make up this novel. BFFs Cassie, Emily and Lydia are matched up with Matthew, Charlie and Sebastian. The thing is that these are some bad boys at a bad school. The girls, not to be out-done, are wary of the boys' bad reputation, but hold their own when it comes to "secret assignments" done in the name of crushing. Dares to like causing fake fire drills and breaking into cars are pulled off effortlessly on both sides. Somehow, even though there are six characters to keep up with, they are easily distinguishable. The book is funny and has a cute format, with emails and diary entries laced among the pen-pal letters. There isn't a lot of substance, but it's fun.