The Bookworm says… Yes. The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by
Kate Hattemer is an enjoyable book! At Selwyn Academy, a prestigious art
school, all forms of art are valued over all else. A local television network,
kTV, comes to the school to film their reality TV show about young artists,
dubbed “For Art’s Sake”. That is when everything changes. Art is no longer the
primary focus of everyone at the school. For those involved with the show, it’s
winning. For the faculty, it’s money. For the general student population, it’s
getting through the day without interrupting kTV filming and having to face the
wrath of the producer, Trisha Meier. The show is taking over Selwyn, and it’s
up to Ethan, Luke, Jackson, and Elizabeth to save it. An English class on Ezra
Pound inspires the quartet to write and distribute a long poem to the student
body, encouraging them to make their opinions about “For Art’s Sake” heard,
loud and clear. The aftermath of their poem is greater than they could have
imagined, and the kTV crew more cunning. Betrayal left and right, Ethan needs
to do something, and fast.
I really enjoyed Vigilante Poets! I
think the story is very appealing, though I am a sucker for performing
arts/arts high schools. The risks the friends take to save their school are
inspiring, and the lengths they go to are daring. There were few dull moments
throughout the novel, and I didn’t find the ending predictable. I actually think
the ending was very unpredictable. I
was pleasantly surprised by this book.
“Remember:
this is not a novel, not a memoir, not produced by anyone with artistic skill.
It’s just about what happened last year. It’s about reality TV, a desperate
crush on a ballerina, and a heroic gerbil named Baconnaise. But mostly it’s
about my friends. Please remember: not art, just life.”