Description
By the acclaimed author of Moxie, a funny, bighearted adult debut that is at once an ode to educators, a timely glimpse at today’s pressing school issues, and a tender character study, following a sprawling cast of teachers, administrators, and staff at a Texas high school
With its ensemble of warm and unforgettable characters, The Faculty Lounge shows readers a different side of school life. It all starts when an elderly substitute teacher at Baldwin High School is found dead in the faculty lounge. After a bit of a stir, life quickly returns to normal—it’s not like it’s the worst (or even most interesting) thing that has happened within the building’s walls. But when, a week later, the spontaneous scattering of his ashes on the school grounds catches the attention of some busybody parents, it sets in motion a year that can only be described as wild, bizarre, tragic, mundane, beautiful, and humorous all at once.
In the midst of the ensuing hysteria and threats of disciplinary action, the novel peeks into the lives of the implicated adults who, it turns out, actually have first names and continue to exist when the school day is done. We meet: a former punk band front man, now a middle-aged principal who must battle it out with the schoolboard to keep his job; a no-nonsense school nurse willing to break the rules, despite the close watch on their campus, when a student arrives at her office with a dilemma; and a disgruntled English instructor who finds himself embroiled in even more controversy when he misfires a snarky email. Oh, and there’s also a teacher make-out session in a supply closet during a lockdown.
As these people continue to manage the messiness of this school year, there is the looming threat of what will become of their beloved Baldwin High. Ultimately, at the heart of this unconventional workplace novel is a story of the power of human connection and of the joy of finding purpose in what it is we do every day.
About the Author
I'm a high school English teacher and writer. My novels for young people include MOXIE, THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE, DOWN CAME THE RAIN, and more.My fourth novel MOXIE is a film on Netflix, directed by Amy Poehler. :-)All my YA novels are published by Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan.In July 2024, I'll be introducing my first novel for adults, THE FACULTY LOUNGE. It's being published by Dutton and follows a sweeping cast of characters who all work at a big public high school in Texas.I live in Texas with my husband, son, dog, and cat.When it comes to what I read, I love anything that hooks me on the first page. I adore thoughtful memoirs and creative nonfiction about arts and culture. When it comes to fiction, my favorite contemporary writers are Curtis Sittenfeld, Danielle Evans, and J. Courtney Sullivan. If I could travel into the world of a book (but only for a little bit!), I'd choose an Edith Wharton novel.
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