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CARTER FINALLY GETS IT by Brent Crawford

CARTER FINALLY GETS IT

by Brent Crawford

Pub Date: April 7th, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4231-1246-4
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Freshmen firsts: hookups, heartaches, humiliations. Though 14-year-old Will Paul Carter flopped during his last high dive of the summer, he’s still looking forward to a madcap school year with hot chicks and honorable competitions. Dating isn’t as easy as his sister suggested, however, and his subpar baseball skills keep him off the team with his cohorts. Instead, Carter takes to the stage and gets the girl and the glory as a thespian instead of a jock. Endowed with an infectious narrative voice, Carter builds up readers’ energy, though the manic behavior wears thin occasionally. His focus bounces from unrelated topic to unrelated topic between chapters, but the disjointed flow is natural and underscores the character’s Attention Deficit Disorder. Awkward humor abounds, from a fast-forward porn tape to speed leg-shaving to nervous bowels, and teen guys will love the opportunity to laugh at their best friend while avoiding embarrassment themselves. Crawford avoids moralizing, while nicely balancing toilet humor and developing social maturity. (Fiction. YA)