Stanford has never been good at school, but he is good at basketball. In fact, he’s great at basketball. But a failing grade in English means he’s bound for summer school and not the ultra-exclusive basketball camp he’d planned on attending. Of course, confessing the truth to his friends would mean utter humiliation, so Stanford’s finding ways to keep his secret from being discovered. A task that only gets harder when his parents find him a tutor, and that tutor happens to be best friends with the cutest girl in the world.
In addition to dealing with friend issues and girl issues, Stanford’s got a lot going on at home. His beloved grandmother, Yin Yin has to be moved to an old-age home because she’s unable to live with them anymore. And his father is up for a promotion at work which means he has no time for his family, and is horribly disagreeable when he is around.
It’s quite a balancing act for Stanford, coolness vs. honesty, basketball vs. school, all the kinds of things that kids have to manage every day. I think this will be really accessible to middle grades readers. The interest is probably highest in 4-6 grade, although Stanford is entering 7th grade, so it might pull a few older readers as well. Although there’s plenty of interest in the opposite sex, things remain tame throughout.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – As a prank, one boy pulled another’s pants down as girls were walking by. Stanford notices a girl who is “kinda cute.” Girls ask boys to dance. There’s talk about girlfriends and girls liking boys and vice versa. Some kids kiss at school or hold hands. Stanford mentions one couple who looks like “they are giving each other mouth-to-mouth resuscitation” because they kiss all day. Stanford says that none of his friends know how to give hickeys, but they’re all supposed to have gotten to second base with a girl. Except he doesn’t know what second base is and is scared to admit it. Stanford likes a girl and thinks about her constantly. Boys shower in the locker room and some do not cover up afterward. If a boy looks at other boys too long and then the others throw him out of the locker room naked. Stanford’s grandmother had an arranged marriage. A girl kisses Stanford on the cheek.
Profanity – “jeez,” “dork,” “stupid,” “bummer,” “butt cheese,” “nerd,” “geek,” “freak,” “turd” used as a mocking part of Stanford’s name – “Stan-turd,” “jerk,” “oh god,” “idiot,” “numbnut,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Stanford’s grandmother is living with them because there are no openings in the place she wants to move to. Stanford thinks she has to wait for “someone to croak” before she can move there. There’s a rumor that the English teacher once killed a cook because he didn’t like his burger. Stanford makes periodic threats to kill himself (maybe I should just slit my wrists, etc.) After reading a Robert Frost poem, Stanford daydreams about the characters in the poem dying and being skeletons. After a kid angers his father he doesn’t see his friends for three days and then appears with a bruise on his cheek.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.
