Teen: I don't want to give away the end, so I'll just say that Benny and Claudine learn something in this competition. By being forced to consider love and/or loss, they learn it is much easier to empathize with each other than they had believed.

Adult: Benny has a great voice that echoes the sentiments and logic of his peers (male and female). The author deals with several real and poignant events (e.g., grandfather’s stroke) with a balanced hand: not over-the-top funny, but not down-in-the-dumps sad, either.

Pros: Humor and authentic dialogue combine flawlessly in a story where kids can easily see themselves, their peers, and their families. Parents will like that the adults are genuine and “equal” in the sense that they are not caricatures or the comic foil.

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