And Sometimes Why

Change is not a concept that eighth grader Jack Jordan is eager to embrace. First, there's the little matter of his dad moving out and taking up with some unknown woman named Melissa. Then, his formerly easy relationship with his best friend, Chris, becomes complicated when he begins to notice that besides being a really great athlete, she also has some really great legs. What's worse, he's not the only one to make this observation. Most of the guys in his class, especially popular Kyle Baskin, are beginning to take note of Chris's new attributes as well. Suddenly, Jack is feeling jealous, angry, and so mixed-up he doesn't know what to do or who to blame. It will take a misguided kiss at a country club cotillion to make Jack realize that a solid friendship is often worth more than a passing romance. And a showdown with his father will reveal that the mysterious Melissa is actually just a family therapist, trying to get his parents back together.

Funny and smartly written, And Sometimes Why cleverly captures the all-too-familiar havoc hormones can wreak on perfectly good friendships. Chris sums up Jack's confusion neatly when she tells him, "You only kissed me... because of Sam. And because of Kyle. You thought that if they wanted to kiss me, then you should probably want to kiss me, too." Jaded adolescent readers familiar with the traditional "romance always follows friendship" cliché foisted on them by teen-marketed media will find author Mame Farrell's conclusion that sometimes friendship itself is enough refreshingly different. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert