Senior year of high school seems to be a turning point for better or worse. Whether you are trying to get into the college of your dreams like Avery, planning a trip around the world like Brody or just trying to party it up before the rest of your life starts, you probably have a lot on your plate, just like the characters in YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES.

For Avery Scott, her life --- already full of cheerleading, volunteering and living life on top of the social structure --- is turned upside down by three big events:

1) Her early application to Duke is deferred.
2) She breaks up with her boyfriend
3) Her childhood friend Nora commits suicide.

"[O]verall, the book is a satisfying read with enough love and support to balance out the pain and difficulties in Avery’s life."

Oh, and did I mention Avery is adopted? In the whirlwind of impressing Duke, holding onto friends, dealing with loss and finding the perfect senior project, Avery’s senior year is disintegrating fast. Enter Brody, the reserved kid who likes Batman and has a quest: fulfill a childhood promise to Nora and find Avery’s birth mom.

If you think YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES sounds like a plot with a lot going on, you would be right, especially when you add in the creepy school counselor, parents who don’t like Avery’s new quest, an ultra-peppy cheer coach, parties, broken rules and more. Although there is a lot going on in the book, it still slows down enough to pull some tears out of the reader and truly bring the crisis of Avery’s life into focus. The whirlwind of characters and events might be confusing and a few loose ends might leave the reader wondering what happens next, but overall, the book is a satisfying read with enough love and support to balance out the pain and difficulties in Avery’s life.
 
To anyone who wants a taste of high school and some fun (if slightly unrealistic) action with deeper themes sprinkled in, I recommend YEAR OF MISTAKEN DISCOVERIES by Eileen Cook.