Some error occured while loading the Quick View. Please close the Quick View and try reloading the page.
High school senior Hallie Mayhew spends her days traipsing from one lavish Montecito estate to the next . . . spraying ant poison.
Between her dad’s pest control company, her mom’s pond cleaning service, and her side gig at a tourist hotspot in Santa Barbara, Hal puts the “work” in working class. But Hal has qualms about gassing gophers. She’s tired of ditching friends to skim dead fish from fountains, and she’s weary of divorced-parent politics. So Hal has a plan: win the prestigious Verhaag Scholarship, go to an east coast school, and never come back.
But the Verhaag Scholarship has a proud history of nepotism and a last-minute contender just crawled out of the woodwork. Hal’s parking lot nemesis has usurped the Yearbook Committee, depriving her of her only extracurricular credit. To make matters worse, her Montecito clients are in a defensive frenzy over a rash of estate burglaries, and if her jobs keep making her tardy, she may not even graduate.
With her college plans rapidly derailing, Hal is forced to enlist the help of Spencer Salazar: the dim, infuriating (and kinda hot) rich kid next door. Hal’s willing to do anything to win the scholarship, but her side gigs are creating a tangled web that might keep her stuck in Santa Barbara forever, and now she’s wondering—maybe too late—if she misjudged the boy next door.
“Hal’s determination and drive add spice to the sweet story, while her work experiences pepper the tale with hilarity and incredulity. This is a great fit for a fun read.” —Seattle Book Review
“Laugh-out-loud funny . . . Cheering for this scrappy underdog will appeal to younger and older adults alike.” —Washington Post
“Foscue’s debut young-adult novel is bursting with humor and charm, and readers will enjoy following and rooting for Hallie as she tries to escape the many burdens of her world.” —Booklist
"I love underestimated outsiders who come out on top through wit and gumption, and Elizabeth Foscue delivers! Pest is a quirky, fast-paced YA read with a strong, self-determined protagonist, relatable characters, witty dialogue, and a satisfying ending." —USA Today bestselling author Kelly Stone Gamble
“With a charming nod to Veronica Mars, Foscue’s lively writing style and creative plot twists will keep those pages turning. And when you get to The End, you’ll want more.” —Robin Reardon, author of the Trailblazer series
“Wry, funny, and full of heart, Pest takes you on a nimble-footed tour of Santa Barbara’s ‘dark side,’ while remaining true to its coming-of-age roots. Recommended for readers who like their teen angst leavened with laughs.”—Bruce Hale, bestselling author of The Chet Gecko Mysteries and Clark the Shark
“Elizabeth Foscue’s coming-of age tale simply oozes charm. Locals will instantly recognize the incredibly detailed look at life in Santa Barbara (boy, you just can’t believe how accurate!), and all will be equally captivated by Pest’s Hal, and her spirited nature.” —Valerie R. Rice, author of Lush Life: Food & Drinks from the Garden
“In Pest, Elizabeth Foscue portrays an insidiously wealthy enclave, crawling with teen drama and teeming with unwanted legged creatures lurking inside mansion walls....Ripe with socio-economic rifts and teen angst, the misunderstood girl next door, Hallie, presents a unique ‘most likely to succeed’ protagonist who isn’t afraid to face the task of college applications—or pick up dead critters along the way. A YA read that is both entertaining and intriguing.”—Liz Ruckdeschel, author of the What If… series