Honest Book Prepares Kids for Social Issues Faced in High School

Posted byAuthor Stacy A. PadulaPosted inUncategorizedTags:, ,

Written by Isabelle Semas

Isabelle Semas is in her junior year of high school, and has been homeschooled most of her life.  She looks forward to graduating next year and hopes to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education.  In her spare time, she sings in a christian band named NHB with her friends, is very involved in her church’s children’s ministry, and enjoys art.  She hopes to someday publish a book of her own.

I most certainly recommend The Right Person by Stacy A. Padula to those who are going into high school and those who are homeschooled.  Neither have experienced the high school party scene, and are therefore blind to its evils. This story shows in detail how simple it is for peer pressure and temptations to ruin a person’s life, especially the life of a young teen.

The Right Person opened my eyes to the raw truth of popularity.  Everyone loves main character Chris Dunkin until he wants to give up the party scene and go to church.  They become angry with him. Courtney moves in the opposite direction, craving the party life, and  going to great lengths to attain them. This story taught me that when you turn your life around, you will find who your true friends are, and that popularity is not fulfilling.

This book is honest. It loudly declares that the things the world offers to fulfill you- drugs, alcohol, popularity- can’t quench your thirst.  But The Right Person does not stop there. It also offers the solution, which is a relationship with Christ. Major themes were popularity, and the struggle between good and evil.  As Chris moved away from sinful habits, he was rejected. As Courtney moved toward these things, she regretted her relationship with Chris.  Light repels the darkness. The craving for popularity often motivated many characters to make the decisions which drove the plot, and influenced their decisions.

Though I have never experienced public high school, the craving of popularity and the effects of peer pressure are relatable.  The characters are realistic, I felt like I saw bits of each character in the faces of my friends and acquaintances. I understand the “I am alone” mindset that some of the characters feel, and the misconception that we, as teens, know it all.

Published by Author Stacy A. Padula

Stacy Padula has spent the last 14 years working daily with teenagers as a college counselor, mentor, and life coach. She was named "Top Inspirational Author of the Year" for 2022 by the International Association of Top Professionals (New York, NY). In 2021, she was broadcast on the famous Reuters Building in Times Square as "Empowered Woman of the Year." Her Gripped book series is currently being adapted for TV by Emmy-winning producer Mark Blutman. She is the founder and CEO of Briley & Baxter Publications: a publishing company that donates a portion of its proceeds to animal rescues each month. She has edited and published a variety of titles, including Boston Bruins Anthem Singer Todd Angilly and Rachel Goguen's The Adventures of Owen & the Anthem Singer, LaTonya Pinkard of Netflix's Last Chance U's Nate & His Magic Lion, and former NHL player Norm Beaudin's memoir The Original: Living Life Through Hockey. Stacy resides in Plymouth, Massachusetts with her husband Tim and two miniature dachshunds, Briley and Baxter.