Tutored

November 1, 2010
Whittenberg's preachy fourth novel is a classic wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance between two African-American teenagers, Wendy Anderson and Hakiam Powell, who have had very different upbringings. The narrative alternates between their day-to-day struggles: Wendy lives in an affluent, primarily white suburb of Philadelphia, while Hakiam has been through foster care and then juvie for shoplifting in Cincinnati ("For him, anywhere he went in America would be the third world"). When Hakiam moves to Philly and decides to get his GED, he meets Wendy, who is working as a tutor; they initially butt heads, but soon become a couple, learning about each other's worlds. Whittenberg (Hollywood and Maine) attempts to get at important issues regarding prejudice within the black community, largely through the straitlaced character of Wendy's father, but his arrogant and dismissive attitudes are unconvincing and approach caricature ("Now that's what I call singing," he says, grooving to a corny mall musician. "No filthy lyrics like those ignorant rappers that get played on the radio"). With underdeveloped characters and a too-tidy ending, the story can't escape the feel of an after-school special. Ages 14–up.

November 1, 2010

The politics of ethnicity and class are heavily at play in this work of romantic fiction. Seventeen-year-old Wendy has been raised in a white suburb of Philadelphia by her overprotective father, who fears her exposure to the poor black neighborhoods he left behind. Wendy responds to his blatant stereotyping by becoming a tutor in just such a community, where she meets Hakiam. Newly arrived in the city, he's just the sort of boy her dad fears—he spent his adolescence being shuffled through foster homes and now lives with his cousin and her premature, newborn baby. Predictably, the two initially clash but quickly move past their sparring and become intrigued with one another, to the chagrin of both their families. The chemistry between the pair comes about abruptly, but the strength of this story lies in the dynamic between Wendy and Hakiam and in his experiences with her friends. Secondary characters are, unfortunately, not as well developed—both Wendy's dad and Hakiam's cousin are caricatures with whom readers will not be able to empathize. Ambitious and thought-provoking, if flawed. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2010

Gr 7-10-College-bound Wendy Anderson, 16, and GED-seeking Hakiam Powell, 17, both African Americans, meet at an inner-city Philadelphia community center where Wendy volunteers as a tutor. Living and going to school in an upscale white suburb, she has felt the sting of prejudice and challenges her condescending father's attitude toward his past and his race. Hakiam has drifted from foster care in Cincinnati to his cousin's apartment where he is stuck taking care of her baby. Despite the teens' vastly different backgrounds and aspirations, a tentative romance begins. Wendy's intelligence, personal goals, persistence, and genuine concern for the baby's welfare ultimately motivate Hakiam to find a job, a safe home, and the willpower to study for his GED. Issues of prejudice, socioeconomic disparities, and family conflict are presented in this engaging story. Wendy's biased father and Hakiam's negligent cousin offer provocative profiles in parenting. Although the teens glide a bit too confidently in and out of each other's homes and neighborhoods, readers will savor the saucy verbal sparring between them, the star-crossed contrast in their backgrounds, and the upbeat ending.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Grades 9-12 Wendy and Hakiams problems couldnt be more different. Sixteen-year-old Wendy spars with her father over her desire to attend a historically black college, while 17-year-old Hakiam struggles in his GED class and cant seem to take advantage of his fresh start. She lives in a mostly white suburb of Philadelphia, and he is living with his cousin and her new baby in the hood. The teens worlds collide in an inner-city tutoring center, where they spend more time studying each other than U.S. history. For those who connected with Whittenbergs spunky heroine, Maine, in Sweet Thang (2006) and Hollywood and Maine (2009), this might be a disappointment. From Hakiams welfare mother of a cousin to Wendys fathers cartoonish racism/classism, there are plenty of archetypes to go around, and Whittenbergs trademark witty dialogue feels out of place in such a hard-edged novel. However, Wendy bucks the norm of most uptight priss stereotypes by being enlightened and interested in her roots. Plus, the exploration of privileged middle-class blacks in comparison to the poor and disenfranchised population is a striking rarity in YA fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)