All’s not
fair in love, war, and high school journalismSixteen-year-old Luisa Perez is not looking to win any awards for school spirit. In fact, she and her friends make it a point to avoid all activities considered “extra-curricular.” So when her English teacher volunteers her to be an anonymous columnist for the school paper, Luisa’s first impulse is to run. But, unlike her high-school dropout sister, Luisa does want to go to college—it may be her only ticket out of a life spent working at the cowboy-themed diner where she waitresses part time—and it would be nice to
something on her applications.
Her first assignment is to cover her high school's latest fundraiser, which pits the girls against the boys. Luisa will cover the events from the female POV, while another anonymous writer provides the male perspective—or, at least, that’s how it begins. The two columnists soon find themselves engaged in an epic battle of the sexes—a battle that Luisa is determined to win. Just who does this guy think he is, encouraging his peers to act like Neanderthals with their girlfriends? And why can’t Luisa shake the very sinking feeling that her new unidentified nemesis might also be her new boyfriend?
Chicago sophomore Luisa Perez generally avoids school activities. Then she is asked to anonymously cover the school’s efforts in the citywide literacy fund-raising challenge for the school paper. Though initially reluctant, Luisa becomes columnist “Newshound,” and soon two competitions are on: one between the boys and girls to raise money; the other between Luisa and her anonymous male counterpart, “Scoop,” to get the story. As the columns become more provocative, tackling gender and relationship issues, Luisa determines to uncover Scoop’s identity. Her discovery may not surprise all readers, but even those who saw what was ahead will appreciate Luisa’s hard-won insights, particularly those about looking beyond appearances. Luisa’s descriptive first-person narrative provides compelling reading as she and the supporting characters experience struggles and achievements, at school, at work, at home, and in romance. The interspersed, dueling columns are snappy and edgy, and they empower Luisa and her friends to examine priorities in relationships, learning, and life. This enjoyable, thought-provoking battle of the sexes highlights literacy’s importance and the power of the written word to hurt, heal, and inspire. Grades 9-12. --Shelle Rosenfeld
