Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout is one of those books that is perfect for “regular” teen readers—teens who don’t want a fantasy, or a horror novel, or one with lots of angst. It’s about normal teens, doing everyday things, with a twist or two to make it interesting.
Lu lives in a working class Chicago home with her mom and her sister—both single moms. Lu is a good writer whose talents land her a spot on the school paper, pitted against an anonymous boy writer in a “he-said-she-said” column about the sexes. The plot revolves around Lu’s attempts to unmask her counterpart. There are several red herrings along the way, but the mystery boy is actually right in front of her all along.
Lu and most of her friends are Hispanic, but this fact isn’t central to the story. It’s refreshing to have a story with ethnic characters in which the point of the story is not their ethnicity.
Girl v. Boy isn’t necessarily great literature, but it is a good book to know for teen readers. It’s entertaining, with just the right amount of substance underneath.
Lu lives in a working class Chicago home with her mom and her sister—both single moms. Lu is a good writer whose talents land her a spot on the school paper, pitted against an anonymous boy writer in a “he-said-she-said” column about the sexes. The plot revolves around Lu’s attempts to unmask her counterpart. There are several red herrings along the way, but the mystery boy is actually right in front of her all along.
Lu and most of her friends are Hispanic, but this fact isn’t central to the story. It’s refreshing to have a story with ethnic characters in which the point of the story is not their ethnicity.
Girl v. Boy isn’t necessarily great literature, but it is a good book to know for teen readers. It’s entertaining, with just the right amount of substance underneath.