High School Story: Book 3

School is officially in! High School Story: Book 3 starts up where Book 2 left off. There's more drama, romance, and of course, your choice of concert band, cheer squad, or sports. And don't forget prom! Before I give away any more about the next chapter in your high school adventures, let's talk to the writers:

So what's coming up in Book 3 of High School Story?

Rachel S.: If you saw our peek into the future at the end of Book 2, you know that Hearst High shut down, and some of their students have to transfer to Berry High! Get ready to go to school with your favorite Bulldogs — Brian, Zoe, Kara, Max — and some new Hearst faces! Besides Hearst drama, it’s prom season! Just wait until you see all the prom king and queen campaigning, fancy suits and dresses, and of course promposals! It’s going to be a blast.

Wendy: Play your cards right and you might even win prom king or queen!

With everything that's going on, it sounds like we'll be meeting some new friends and foes! Can you tell us about that? Any favorite new characters?

Wendy: Fans of HSS Prime already know that not every Hearst student is evil. In Book 3, you’ll have the chance to meet and befriend some of the good ones. Watch out, though… Rivalries this deep won’t just disappear overnight. As for my personal favorite new character… for some reason, I’m saying Kieran. I think he’s a character a lot of players will recognize from their own high school experiences. Also, we finally remedied the “book full of teenagers and none of them have braces” situation.

Rachel S.: My favorite new character is Jade. To sum her up in three words: strong, tough, and sporty. She adds a lot to the baseball team, and so far, I’m having a blast writing her. I know you’ll love her too.

Rachel Z.: I personally adore Cameron. They add a new spark to band, and their spontaneous creative energy pushes against Aiden's careful style in a really fun way. Each time I write them, I think about how high school me would have been scared to ask them to hang out - because I'd be like, ahh, you're so cool!

What was the best part of writing Book 3? And what was the toughest part of it?

Rachel S.: The best part of writing Book 3 has been the team effort we’ve put in together. *collective aww* I’m so proud of what we’ve come up with, and I hope everyone out there will love it just as much! On a less sappy note, the promposals have been so much fun to write. I just love… love! As for the most challenging part, I’d have to say that's balancing the entire cast of characters. Each character is so fun and unique, but you want to make sure they have their time in the spotlight!

Brianna: Developing relationships between the new and old characters is such a treat! Also, I’ve ALWAYS wanted to write a carousel scene just so I could use this one carousel-specific joke. With Book 3, I’m so thrilled to announce my meme dream has come true.

Wendy: The most challenging part for me has always been and will always be writing about sports. No matter how much research I do, Rachel S. or Brianna will always end up asking me “What is this? Sports don’t work like that!”

If you had to be study buddies with one character in HSS, who would it be?

Brianna: I feel like my grades would soar if I studied with Maria. She’d be extremely effective. I also considered Luis and Nishan, but I get the feeling we might get sidetracked and end up showing each other nerdy videos on YouTube. But Maria seems like she’d stay focused!

Rachel Z.: Definitely Emma. She's a great mix of studious and fun. We'd take frequent breaks, but still get a lot accomplished. And the snacks would be out of this world.

What's your top study tip for students about to take a major exam?

Wendy: Take practice tests. Take a look at what questions you missed, and figure out why. Once you know that, you can figure out strategies that work for you. Oh, and make sure you know exactly how the test is scored and how much time you have on each section. You wouldn’t want to, like, be told to put your pencil down ⅔ of the way through your SAT essay because you thought you had 45 minutes instead of 30. Not that this has ever happened to me or anything...

Rachel S.: Before you start studying, you have to get into the proper mindset: cute puppy and penguin pictures while drinking hot cocoa works wonders. Then, visualize your results. Finally, crack open your book and create notecards. Those did the trick for me, especially for Spanish and French classes. As for the actual exam, I always bring 5 pencils. That way, you’re prepared, no matter what. You know how you’re supposed to break a leg before a theatre show? Break a pencil. Break all the pencils.

Take note! I could've used these study tips in high school (whoops). To everyone reading along: Did you play the first chapter of High School Story: Book 3 yet? What did you think?

-Jessica