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Summary
Summary
What do guys and girls really think? Twelve of the most dynamic and engaging YA authors writing today team up for this one-of-a-kind collection of "he said/she said" stories--he tells it from the guy's point of view, she tells it from the girl's. These are stories of love and heartbreak. There's the good-looking jock who falls for a dangerous girl, and the flipside, the toxic girl who never learned to be loved; the basketball star and the artistic (and shorter) boy she never knew she wanted; the gay boy looking for love online and the girl who could help make it happen. Each story in this unforgettable collection teaches us that relationships are complicated--because there are two sides to every story.
Author Notes
Kelly Milner Halls is the author of Albino Animals and Tales of the Cryptids , both YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications including Booklist , BookPage , Teen Reads , the Denver Post , the Atlanta Journal Constitution , the Washington Post , and many others. She lives in Spokane, Washington.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-All of these stories except the last are told in pairs, with female authors writing from the girls' perspective and male authors from the guys'. Each gender remembers things differently, though some of the timeframes overlap, and delivers unique information. In the first set of linked stories by Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls, Johnny wants to stop lying, so he enlists Wanda, a troubled girl with her own issues, for help. Neither of them expects to fall in love or to end up where that leads. In Joseph Bruchac's and Cynthia Leitich Smith's pair, Bobby has a crush on Nancy, a bruiser who punched her last date. Could someone that strong ever be interested in a guy who used to be bullied? And in James Howe's and Ellen Wittlinger's selections, Max is nervous about meeting a boy he has been chatting with online. He's even more surprised when it turns out that Alex is a girl. Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Terry Davis, Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Sara Ryan, and Randy Powell also contribute tales. Some of the characters walk the line of stereotypes, but the predictability of their attributes and actions can also lend a charming touch since boys and girls have been known to see one another just that way. Not every set of stories works out perfectly: some are happy and others messy, giving the collection as a whole authenticity. Based on the title alone, this anthology might be a hard sell for boys, even with male characters in every story, but short-story fans will enjoy it.-Melyssa Kenney, Parkville High School, Baltimore, MD (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Twelve writers answer Halls's question: "What if a group of authors took on the challenge of perception-boys versus girls?" Together, they create a thoughtful collection of paired short stories (and one joint offering) that give two distinct perspectives on the same events. While romantically themed, the stories do not all end in love connections. In James Howe and Ellen Wittlinger's stories, a gay teen learns the person he has been chatting with online is actually a girl; meanwhile, in Sarah Ryan and Randy Powell's joint story, "Launchpad to Neptune," a teen reunites with his first crush, only to find Stephanie has transitioned to Stephen. The most compelling twin stories may be from Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis, which center on a Muslim immigrant and an Iowa farm girl in love; Rafi's story explores prejudice and being caught between cultures, while Kerry begins a protest when she learns about a hog factory that will destroy their community. This story best exemplifies a theme that runs throughout: it's impossible to know everything someone is thinking and feeling-even when you are in a relationship together. This important idea is executed with finesse throughout. Ages 14-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Twelve YA authors pair off in this short story collection: the men, including Chris Crutcher and Joseph Bruchac, write from the guy's perspective, while the women, including Ellen Wittlinger and Rita Williams-Garcia, write from the girl's. Though the stories vary widely in quality, the unique collection is notable for its diversity, featuring gay, straight, black, white, Muslim, and Native American characters. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Short stories. 14 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In six pairs, prominent YA authors (including Rita Williams-Garcia, Chris Crutcher, and Ellen Wittlinger) each write one half of a story of a relationship between a boy and a girl. Sometimes it's a passionate one and sometimes it's sweet and tentative; sometimes there's a role reversal and sometimes it's a confusing beginning to something bigger. The author pairs are well chosen, often sharing a cultural background or a long-standing relationship, which gives their fictional couples an added authenticity. These stories illustrate the way a relationship is only one part of a person, just as each person is only one part of a relationship. Because the reader stays with each couple through two stories rather than just one, this book reads more like a series of micro-novellas than a collection of short stories. Additionally, since one of the main themes of all of the stories, varied as they are, is the universal connection and disconnect that contemporaneously exist within any relationship, this volume should find a wide readership.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2010 Booklist