He Said, She Said

October 14, 2013
As the title suggests, Alexander’s (Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band) first book for teens jumps between the narratives of two teens who don’t see eye to eye: star quarterback Omar “T-Diddy” Smalls and Harvard-bound student activist Claudia Clarke. Omar is getting plenty of action, on and off the field, and he bets his friends that he can sleep with Claudia within a month (“Trust me, cuz, it’ll never happen,” says one of his friends. “She’s Oprah. You’re Flavor Flav”). Omar is shot down time and again, but he sees an opening when the school board cuts arts funding, aligning himself with Claudia’s mission to overturn the board’s decision. Claudia sees right through him (“Yeah, I’ll just string Mr. Football along until the protest gets some legs. Then I’ll cut him loose like the stray dawg that he is”), but the teens end up surprising each other as they mobilize a protest. Facebook posts, email exchanges, and articles in the school newspaper provide additional forums for classmates’ verbal sparring. A fiery and funny romance with an undercurrent of social justice and awareness. Ages 14–up.

December 1, 2013

Gr 10 Up-West Charleston High is the kingdom that Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls has won through his victorious battles on the gridiron as QB, including the state-championship game that helped seal his scholarship offer from the University of Miami. He has also won a great many female hearts and amassed quite a record of "bong-bong," loving and leaving about 20 young women to earn the label of "playa" that keeps Harvard-bound Claudia from even considering any kind of relationship with him, let alone a romantic one. All that starts to change when Omar decides to spearhead a school protest, suggested by Claudia, on massive cuts to arts programs like band and drama. Yes, he's making it up as he goes along, but he uses his near-celebrity status for a cause that matters and that's dear to the heart of a smart girl who looks like Beyonce-one who won't have anything to do with him even after he has made a bet with his friends that he can bed her or at least bring them her panties. Both teens find change in love and purpose. Full of street slang and dialect as well as pages of Facebook posts and text conversations, this novel told in both Omar's and Claudia's voices will most likely appeal to reluctant readers who like plenty of innuendo and some graphic scenes in their urban teen "dramedy-romances."-Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A star high school quarterback bets he can get the attention of a girl who claims not to be interested by leading a protest for a cause she champions. Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls has the swagger that comes with his exalted status. The fact that he has moved to Charleston, S.C., from Brooklyn adds to his aura, and he attracts the attention of every desirable girl at school--except for Claudia Clarke, who calls him "immature, shallow [and a] fraud." Omar never runs away from a challenge, and he bets his friends that Claudia will become his next conquest. Socially conscious, Claudia is more interested in protesting budget cuts that will wipe out the arts, the library and other school activities--excluding sports--than in Omar. Omar uses his considerable charisma and stories from his activist uncle to lead a successful protest and bring the impending cuts much-needed attention. Through working together, Omar develops genuine feelings for Claudia, and she finds herself drawn to him. Told in alternating chapters by each of the main characters, this lively romance has humor and heart. The use of social media anchors the story in today's culture, while the banter between Omar and Claudia is clever and sounds just right for two smart, college-bound teens. Urban-fiction readers will enjoy this, but it will also appeal to any teen reader seeking a romantic read with lots of fun. (Fiction. 14 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2013
A star high school quarterback bets he can get the attention of a girl who claims not to be interested by leading a protest for a cause she champions. Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls has the swagger that comes with his exalted status. The fact that he has moved to Charleston, S.C., from Brooklyn adds to his aura, and he attracts the attention of every desirable girl at school--except for Claudia Clarke, who calls him "immature, shallow [and a] fraud." Omar never runs away from a challenge, and he bets his friends that Claudia will become his next conquest. Socially conscious, Claudia is more interested in protesting budget cuts that will wipe out the arts, the library and other school activities--excluding sports--than in Omar. Omar uses his considerable charisma and stories from his activist uncle to lead a successful protest and bring the impending cuts much-needed attention. Through working together, Omar develops genuine feelings for Claudia, and she finds herself drawn to him. Told in alternating chapters by each of the main characters, this lively romance has humor and heart. The use of social media anchors the story in today's culture, while the banter between Omar and Claudia is clever and sounds just right for two smart, college-bound teens. Urban-fiction readers will enjoy this, but it will also appeal to any teen reader seeking a romantic read with lots of fun. (Fiction. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2013
After leading the team to a state championship, quarterback Omar T-Diddy Smalls has the West Charleston High student body eating out of his hand. Claudia Clarkesharp, opinionated, and Harvard-boundis the only girl in school who isn't impressed; football frenzy distracts attention from budget cuts and teacher layoffs, and she finds T-Diddy's macho antics immature at best. Omar takes a fifty-dollar bet that he can win Claudia over, and when his usual seduction tactics fail, he applies his social clout to Claudia's cause du jour. Inspired by stories from the civil rights movement activists who hang around his uncle's Library of Progress community centerand by his deepening feelings for ClaudiaOmar rallies his classmates with clumsy but spirited speeches and organizes a sit-in. His burgeoning social awareness and subsequent transformation from carefree jock to true campus leader are satisfying and convincing, making Claudia's thaw all the more believable. The wager, the opposites attracting, and the will-they-or-won't-they courtship are familiar teen-comedy fare, but Claudia and Omar, with their entertaining and distinctive narrative voices, are a couple worth rooting for in this lighthearted, socially conscious romance. jessica tackett macdonald

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
Claudia Clarke--sharp, opinionated, and Harvard-bound--is the only girl who isn't impressed by quarterback Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls. Omar takes a bet that he can win Claudia over, and when his usual seduction tactics fail, he applies his social clout to Claudia's cause du jour. His burgeoning social awareness and transformation from carefree jock to true campus leader are satisfying and convincing.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)