Do Over

Thirteen-year-old Whitman has to deal with the anger he feels towards his father when his parents separate, his own interest in several girls, and the heady feeling of acting in his first play.

Grade 6-9-- Eighth-grader Whitman is extremely preoccupied with making a positive impression on girls. At the same time, he is coping with his parents' imminent divorce, the unexpected big otry of his best friend, and his part in the class play. Vail is a master at portraying adolescent self-absorption, awkwardness, and fickleness, all with freshness and humor. The dialogue be tween teen characters is also simultaneously authentic and funny. While there are no earth- shattering developments, deep realizations, or new insights offered, it doesn't matter. This book is valuable for its ability to help young people laugh at themselves and realize that they are not alone in the predicaments they face. -- Jacqueline Rose, Southeast Regional Library, NC
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The star of this fresh and appealing slice of junior high school life, eighth grader Whitman Levy, appeared briefIy in Vail's first book, Wonder. Here Whit must work through some of life's thornier issues--including his parent's separation and the discovery that his best friend is a bigot. A brief and rather superficial romance with popular Sheila leaves Whit prepared for a real relationship--one based on friendship as well as attraction. That Whit's life is complicated no one will deny, but the breezy narrative, combined with large doses of authentic preteen jocularity, deftly keeps this material from devolving into a whiny problem novel. The honest language never seems out of place coming from an eighth grader--yet it is powerful enough to create a world as richly textured as it is believable. One measure of the success of Vail's well-characterized novel: readers can sense that life goes on here even after the book is closed. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The author of Wonder (1991) presents another perceptive story about kids in the same junior high. Here, she focuses on eighth-grader Whitman Levy, just beginning to be preoccupied by his potential with girls when his parents decide to split up. First glimpsed in a comical opening scene in a closet with popular Sheila during a party game, he's unsure ``how you get started''; he's also good friends with nice, bright Andi, who is black, but ends up with irrepressible Gwen, his wife in the school production of Bye, Bye Birdie. Meanwhile, best friend Doug slights Andi in another kissing game but, though Doug's racism deeply distresses Whit, he never quite realizes that nice Mackey is actually becoming a better friend. More distressing, Dad starts an affair with Liz, attractive young director of the play. Still, Whit is ready to meet Dad halfway when he tries to make peace, as he did with Doug; and in the midst of performing his big scene on stage, he has an epiphany: he may not be able to turn the world back like Superman, but he's still empowered: ``I could screw up or I could be amazing, and there's no turning back, no do-overs. It felt like flying.'' As she did so skillfully in Wonder, Vail enriches an accessible story with sharply observed characters, especially a likable protagonist who confronts the complicated task of growing up with humor, intelligence, and good will. (Fiction. 11-15) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.