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WORK TITLE: Class Act
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WEBSITE: https://www.kelseyrodkey.com/
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COUNTRY: United States
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LAST VOLUME: SATA 407
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PERSONAL EDUCATION:
Attended Kutztown University of Pennsylvania; Capital College, Pennsylvania State University, B.F.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. “Older & Wiser” podcast, cohost; Kutztown University, receptionist, 2009-10; Seneca Productions, Hershey, PA, documentary runner, 2013; BJ’s Wholesale Club, front-line supervisor, 2007-17; Pennsylvania Optometric Association, Harrisburg, PA, communications coordinator, 2014-17, director of communications, 2017—.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kelsey Rodkey is the author of numerous well-regarded young-adult novels, including Last Chance Books, A Disaster in Three Acts, and Plus One. Her titles typically feature romantic comedy subplots.
The heroine of Rodkey’s debut novel, Last Chance Books, is Madeline Moore. Having just graduated from high school, Madeline is working at her family’s bookstore before college. Madeline and her brother were raised by their aunt, as their mother has been absent while chasing her own dreams for Hollywood stardom. However, when a new bookstore opens up down the street, the family’s livelihood is threatened. What’s worse is that the new store is owned by the family of Jasper Hamada, a local boy with whom Madeline strikes up a relationship that is by turns combative but also romantically inclined. A Kirkus Reviews contributor described the book as a “solid rom-com,” while in Booklist, Ronny Khuri compared it to the classic movie rom-com You’ve Got Mail, “with a similarly bittersweet ending.”
Rodkey’s second novel, A Disaster in Three Acts, also features a rom-com approach. High-school senior Saine Sinclair is working on an application for Temple University’s documentary program, which requires her to create her own short documentary. However, when her original subject withdraws, Saine decides her only solution is to film the everyday life of her childhood best friend, Holden. As it happens, Holden is the ex-boyfriend of Saine’s current best friend, Corrine. As Saine and Holden work together on the former’s documentary project, sparks fly. A Kirkus Reviews contributor termed this book “a rom-com that deftly hits many emotional beats,” while School Library Journal critic Emma Carbone called it “a fast-paced rom-com with a main character whose singular focus often works against her character development.”
A plucky, overweight teen is at the center of Plus One. Lahey has always enjoyed her matchmaking activities, but she finds herself under the gun to find a date of her own to an upcoming party. As she utilizes her well-worn bag of tricks for finding romantic partners for others, Lahey steps on toes, overlooks potential suitors, and hurts others’ feelings. Eventually, however, she finds her way and develops the self-esteem and emotional maturity necessary to truly attract a guy. The book is “a romantic journey of self-growth,” remarked a Kirkus Reviews contributor.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 15, 2021, Ronny Khuri, review of Last Chance Books, p. 47.
Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2021, review of Last Chance Books; May 1, 2022, review of A Disaster in Three Acts; June 1, 2023, review of Plus One.
School Library Journal, April, 2021, Elizabeth Gold, review of Last Chance Books, p. 132; September, 2022, Emma Carbone, review of A Disaster in Three Acts, p. 118.
ONLINE
JABberwocky Literary Agency, Inc., https://www.awfulagent.com/ (October 12, 2021), author profile.
Kelsey Rodkey website, https://www.kelseyrodkey.com (November 27, 2023).*
Kelsey Rodkey is the author of the young adult novels Last Chance Books, A Disaster in Three Acts, Plus One, and Class Act. She is a banter enthusiast always in search of scary movies, delicious carbs, and her next five-star read. She once helped a British film crew make a documentary about creative dog grooming and has a terrible fear of waterslides. She lives in Central Pennsylvania with her partner and their cats, Cheese and Tux.
Rodkey, Kelsey CLASS ACT Harper/HarperCollins (Teen None) $19.99 10, 1 ISBN: 9780063243774
Senior Ella Parker-Evans challenges her new private school's student council status quo with the help of the principal's son.
Ella takes her responsibilities as older sister to Connie very seriously, thanks in part to pressure from her parents. To help Connie escape bullying at her public school, the girls' parents transfer them to Courtland Academy, where Ella can continue her protective role. On their first day of school, however, the entitled class president publicly humiliates Connie by reading aloud a sensual scene from her fan fiction and making innuendos. Incensed, Ella starts a petition for a new election and gets her name on the ballot. It's hard to win as a brand-new student, so Ella strikes up a deal with handsome Patrick, the principal's son: He'll fake date her, using his popularity to bolster her chances. In return, she'll help him secure a coveted apprenticeship at her mom's restaurant in hopes of persuading his parents to support his dreams of culinary school. Predictably (and delightfully), the plan gets complicated when real feelings simmer below the surface of their pretend relationship. The leads are white; refreshingly, Ella is described as both fat and desirable. The writing is strongest during the swoonworthy scenes, which are dripping in romantic tension. The plot moves along at a nice pace, and the ending doesn't disappoint.
Delivers on genre must-haves while successfully challenging outdated conventions.(Romance. 13-18)
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"Rodkey, Kelsey: CLASS ACT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804504737/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fe26185f. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.