September 1, 2012
Grades 7-10 When it comes to hilarious, hormone-addled series from a boy's POV, the two leaders are Don Calame's books, beginning with Swim the Fly (2009), and Crawford's Carter novels. Calame's may be more uproarious, but Crawford has all the heart, continuing in this third volume the travails of goofy, optimistic, boob-obsessed Carter as he founds a 15-year-olds' fight club, geeks out over auditioning for the school play, and tries to score with his girlfriend before she moves. It's a PG-13 blur of parties and oh-so-close make-out sessions, with Carter as our irrepressible guide. Pretty dang fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2013
Fifteen-year-old Carter (Carter Finally Gets It; Carter's Big Break) finds himself torn between staying at his high school with his friends or joining older girlfriend Abby at the New York Drama School. Carter finally learns that there's more to his relationship with Abby than (possible) sex. Full of frank, unfiltered humor, the dialogue snaps and situations ring true to high-school life.
(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)