Wonderland

Pennsbury High School would be like any other were it not for one thing: its prom. Its spring dance is considered by"Reader's Digest to be one of "America's best legacies.""Wonderland is the inspiring true story of a dance floor and the kids who fill it: a tale of hope, sex, love, and loss. For one year, the students, parents, and teachers of Pennsbury invited Michael Bamberger, a senior writer for "Sports Illustrated, into their classtooms, their homes, their parties, and their dreams. He discovered an extraordinary and disparate group of everyday teenagers whose stories were touching, odd, funny, and beautiful. In "Wonderland, lives intersect in unpredictable ways and are never what they appear to be. The star quarterback hides the pain of not knowing where his father is. The senior in low-cut jeans and the black Corvette doesn't realize she is idolized. A student with cerebral palsy is desperate to learn to tie Eagle Scout knots, despite a useless left hand. And then there is Bob Costa, who dreams of making his name and bringing glory to the school by convincing John Mayer, whose song "Young Body Is a Wonderland" is and anthem for the students, to perform at the prom. Critically acclaimed in hardcover. "Wonderlandis published in paperback with a new afterword by the author. It is "the rare high school story that refrains from sensationalizing its subject matter, and instead offers an image of optimism with the occasional dose of heartbreak" ("City Paper, Philadelphia).