Bass Ackwards and Belly Up
Encyclopedia
Bass Ackwards and Belly Up is a young-adult novel
by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
, published by Little, Brown
in May 2006
. The novel is the first by Craft and Fain, better known as writers and co-producers for the television show The Shield
. They shared the writing duties with Craft writing the characters of Harper and Sophie and Fain writing the characters of Kate and Becca. The novel was nominated for a Borders
Original Voices Award in 2006, in the Intermediate/Young Adult Books category.
The novel is about chasing dreams. The story starts in Boulder
, Colorado
with four best friends — Harper Waddle, Sophie Bushell, Becca Winsberg, and Kate Foster — who have finished high school and are supposed to be going to college. Kate's 14-year-old sister, Habiba (usually called "Beebs"), who was adopted from Ethiopia, is also a big part of the story. Harper is rejected from NYU but is too ashamed of herself to tell her friends. She lies and tells them she rejected NYU and is going to pursue her dream of writing the next Great American Novel. Sophie and Kate decide they have their own dreams: becoming an actress and finding her dream, respectively. They decide to bail on college, following Harper's example. Becca decides to go to college, to pursue her dream of falling in love
.
teacher, her English teacher, Mr. Adam Finelli, whom she had always had a crush on, at her job at a local café. She tells him about her writing, and he tries to help her. She is discouraged when she finds out he has a girlfriend, but she breaks up with him. Adam invites Harper to his apartment to talk about her book, but they end up kissing. She, at first, thinks he thought it was weird. But when they meet again, he kisses her, telling her he had wanted to since the night they met at his apartment. Harper, however, tells him she won't kiss him again until she finishes her book. She then uses her experience with him to start writing 51 pages of a first draft. He tells her it is good for a first draft but lackluster. The book ends with her not finishing the novel. She burns her first draft and tells herself to start over.
to become an actress, staying at a wealthy family friends' guest house. She becomes friends with her hostess's pool
guy, Sam, who she thinks is very attractive. Her hostess's housekeeper gets her an extra role in a movie. When at a party Sam took her to, she bumps into famous actress, Trey Benson, and finds out he is starring in the movie she is in. They start to date and, although he treats her without respect, he pretends to be a complete gentleman after Sophie confronts him. He gets her movie and commercial
auditions with his many connections. When Trey stops calling, she is mortified. He calms her down by telling her she can spend her holidays in his family's house in Aspen
. She finds a tabloid with a picture of Trey kissing another girl, his costar. She goes back to L.A. to be with Sam, and they exchange gifts. She gives him a framed copy of one of his playbills.
and says goodbye to her boyfriend, Jared. He breaks up with her but tells her they're just "taking a break". Before she left, Harper, Sophie, Becca, and Habiba gave her a list of things to do in Paris and all over Europe
. The list was basically dares, and the initials of each dare's writers was next to each one. She decides to do #76: Talk to the ugly guy. She meets Magnus, who she falls in love
with, and decides he isn't so ugly after all. She falls asleep in his arms, but leaves the next day, leaving behind contact information. They find each other again and they finish everything on her list of dares together but have to say goodbye when he has to leave for Stockholm University
.
and joins Middlebury College
's ski team, with Coach Maddix, who is not very fond of her. She makes friends with a girl from New York named Isabelle, who prides herself in knowing a lot about Becca's friends. One day at a party, she gets too drunk. She goes around the party screaming "I'm on fi-ya
!! I'm on fi-ya!" and blacks out. A guy she has a crush on, Stuart, carries Isabelle to the nurse, where she tells her everything that happened that night. Stuart and Becca start to date after that. Over Thanksgiving break at Isabelle's house on Park Avenue
, they go to a party where Becca bumps into Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jared, who she has loved even before Kate went out with him. They kiss and end up sleeping together. Soon, she realizes what a big mistake it was and only tells Harper. When Stuart finds out, he is furious and stops talking to Becca. But after an extremely long explanation, they end up making up.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain
Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain are American television screenwriters and producers, mostly working together as partners. They have also written two young-adult fiction novels together.Craft is married to producer Adam Fierro.- Angel :...
, published by Little, Brown
Little, Brown and Company
Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
in May 2006
2006 in literature
The year 2006 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Literature:*Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a Yellow Sun*Chris Adrian - The Children's Hospital *Martin Amis - House of Meetings...
. The novel is the first by Craft and Fain, better known as writers and co-producers for the television show The Shield
The Shield
The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons...
. They shared the writing duties with Craft writing the characters of Harper and Sophie and Fain writing the characters of Kate and Becca. The novel was nominated for a Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
Original Voices Award in 2006, in the Intermediate/Young Adult Books category.
The novel is about chasing dreams. The story starts in Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
with four best friends — Harper Waddle, Sophie Bushell, Becca Winsberg, and Kate Foster — who have finished high school and are supposed to be going to college. Kate's 14-year-old sister, Habiba (usually called "Beebs"), who was adopted from Ethiopia, is also a big part of the story. Harper is rejected from NYU but is too ashamed of herself to tell her friends. She lies and tells them she rejected NYU and is going to pursue her dream of writing the next Great American Novel. Sophie and Kate decide they have their own dreams: becoming an actress and finding her dream, respectively. They decide to bail on college, following Harper's example. Becca decides to go to college, to pursue her dream of falling in love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
.
Harper's story
Stuck at home trying to write a novel, Harper comes across her favorite high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
teacher, her English teacher, Mr. Adam Finelli, whom she had always had a crush on, at her job at a local café. She tells him about her writing, and he tries to help her. She is discouraged when she finds out he has a girlfriend, but she breaks up with him. Adam invites Harper to his apartment to talk about her book, but they end up kissing. She, at first, thinks he thought it was weird. But when they meet again, he kisses her, telling her he had wanted to since the night they met at his apartment. Harper, however, tells him she won't kiss him again until she finishes her book. She then uses her experience with him to start writing 51 pages of a first draft. He tells her it is good for a first draft but lackluster. The book ends with her not finishing the novel. She burns her first draft and tells herself to start over.
Sophie's story
Sophie goes to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to become an actress, staying at a wealthy family friends' guest house. She becomes friends with her hostess's pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
guy, Sam, who she thinks is very attractive. Her hostess's housekeeper gets her an extra role in a movie. When at a party Sam took her to, she bumps into famous actress, Trey Benson, and finds out he is starring in the movie she is in. They start to date and, although he treats her without respect, he pretends to be a complete gentleman after Sophie confronts him. He gets her movie and commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
auditions with his many connections. When Trey stops calling, she is mortified. He calms her down by telling her she can spend her holidays in his family's house in Aspen
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. She finds a tabloid with a picture of Trey kissing another girl, his costar. She goes back to L.A. to be with Sam, and they exchange gifts. She gives him a framed copy of one of his playbills.
Kate's story
After abandoning her parents' wishes of going to Harvard, Kate follows in her two friends' footsteps. Instead of pursuing her dream, she is searching for it. She gets a cheap plane ticket to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and says goodbye to her boyfriend, Jared. He breaks up with her but tells her they're just "taking a break". Before she left, Harper, Sophie, Becca, and Habiba gave her a list of things to do in Paris and all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The list was basically dares, and the initials of each dare's writers was next to each one. She decides to do #76: Talk to the ugly guy. She meets Magnus, who she falls in love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
with, and decides he isn't so ugly after all. She falls asleep in his arms, but leaves the next day, leaving behind contact information. They find each other again and they finish everything on her list of dares together but have to say goodbye when he has to leave for Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
.
Becca's story
The only girl in the foursome who decides to go to college, Becca's dream is to fall in love. But she also loves to skiSki
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
and joins Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
's ski team, with Coach Maddix, who is not very fond of her. She makes friends with a girl from New York named Isabelle, who prides herself in knowing a lot about Becca's friends. One day at a party, she gets too drunk. She goes around the party screaming "I'm on fi-ya
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
!! I'm on fi-ya!" and blacks out. A guy she has a crush on, Stuart, carries Isabelle to the nurse, where she tells her everything that happened that night. Stuart and Becca start to date after that. Over Thanksgiving break at Isabelle's house on Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, they go to a party where Becca bumps into Kate's ex-boyfriend, Jared, who she has loved even before Kate went out with him. They kiss and end up sleeping together. Soon, she realizes what a big mistake it was and only tells Harper. When Stuart finds out, he is furious and stops talking to Becca. But after an extremely long explanation, they end up making up.
Sequel
The sequel to Bass Ackwards and Belly Up, Footfree and Fancyloose, was released April 1, 2009. It picks up half a year after the novel ends.External links
- Bass Ackwards and Belly Up: Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain at the Little, BrownLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
Book Group.