What can be more confusing than dating? When a young woman reaches dating age, how is she to know which guy is the right one for her? Should she go after the most popular, the best athlete, the most handsome . . . Or should she consider other qualities? Maggie is a smart, hard-working, responsible teenager who wants to become a doctor. She is given a great chance to try her skills when she is hired to care for an ailing elderly woman. They take a genuine liking to each other—and her grandson is the school basketball star that Maggie has been pining over. But he has a girlfriend, and Maggie is being pursued by an all-too-serious suitor herself. Other differences seem to get in the way, too: Maggie is a Cuban American whose mother works nights to eke out a living; her admirers are well-off Anglos. This delightful and entertaining novel is as much an exploration of values and perceptions as it is of young and romantic love.
Named to the American Library Association’s 2000 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
Included to the New York Public Library’s 2000 Books for the Teen Age
Named to the Texas Library Association’s 1999-2000 Tayshas High School Reading List
“This is a good choice.”—School Library Journal
“The stories do speak with a lively and authentic accent about the angst of bicultural female adolescence.”—Kirkus Review
“Survival story fans and readers looking for breathtaking action will not be disappointed.”—Booklist
“As librarians and teachers seek multicultural fiction to illuminate trouble spots in the world, this title fits.”—School Library Journal
Though ANILÚ BERNARDO first wrote poetry, she now focuses her talents on fiction for young adults, much of her writing focusing on the Cuban-American experience. Her award-winning novels include Jumping Off to Freedom (1996), Fitting In (1996), and Loves Me, Loves Me Not (1998), all published by Arte Público Press. Bernardo spent her adolescent years in Miami and attended Florida State University where she earned a B.A. in Spanish and a Master’s degree in Communications. As the Director of Public Information for a large organization, she honed her skills writing media releases and internal communications. She turned to writing books in 1995 and currently lives in Plantation, Florida with her husband and two daughters.
ATOS Interest Level: Middle/Upper Grades
Category: Young Adult
ATOS English: 4.7
LEXILE: 690L
Accelerated Reader Quiz #: 34995
