Carter Finally Gets It

Starred review from April 20, 2009
At first glance, parents may not be thrilled to see these books—with their references to “tig ol' bitties” and “spanky” hankies—in the hands of their teenage sons. They should be.
Carter Finally Gets It
Brent Crawford
. Disney-Hyperion
, $15.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1246-4

“All I think about is girls, and I don't do anything about it,” laments Carter at the beginning of this true-to-life, edgy and often hilarious debut novel. The first-person narrative nails the voice of an earnest—and hyper-active—teen starting freshman year with big aspirations and considerable anxiety. Carter's priority is finding a girlfriend, a mission he comically bungles at numerous junctures—“This isn't Queer Eye
. Back off, you stalker!” he chastises himself after drowning a girl in compliments. In one telling scene, Carter attends his first high school party, confident that this will be the night he'll have sex, yet scales back his expectations dramatically as he tries to fight back tears when a senior steals his bike (“No, no, no crying! There's kissing to be done”). Carter's trials and triumphs in sports also come into play, as does his rapport with his caustic older sister and oafish friends. Crawford, an actor, stages an unexpected, affecting finale in which Carter finds confidence and fulfillment in an unlikely role: the lead in the spring musical. Teenage guys will totally get this. Ages 13–up.

March 1, 2009
Gr 8-10-Will Carter is about to start high school and worries about finding his place and making his mark, especially when it come to girls. Carter isn't exactly smooth, he's got ADD and tends to stutter in moments of duress (expecially when fixated with boobs, tits, and belly buttons), but he has a great group of friends, dogged determination, and a wise sister who'll help him stumble through his freshman year, find his first love, face down the school bully, and learn who he really is. Crawford's debut is hysterical from start to finish. Readers will find themselves muffling uncontrollable laughter as they rush to find out what clumsy escapade Carter will plunge himself into next. Few writers have captured the real-life awkwardness of puberty with such comedic candor. Carter might finally get it (or maybe not), but it's readers who really feel lucky."Terri Clark, Smokey Hill Library, Centennial, CO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2008
Grades 7-10 Crawford expertly channels his inner 14-year-old for this pitch-perfect comedy about girls, football, girls, swimming, girls, drama club, and girls. Freshman Will Carter is googly-eyed over everything about high school (did we mention the girls?), and his ADD just makes it worseno matter whats going on, it only takes seconds for his imagination to devolve into fantasies about G-strings, exposed navels, and tig ol biddies. His toughest challenges quickly reveal themselves: gynormous athletes wanting to flatten him, friends intent on humiliating him, and Abby, the no-longer-fat drill-team hottie who seems to get a real charge out of slapping him in public. Theres barely a plot to speak of, and Crawford relies heavily on stock social situations. But hisstream-of-consciousness, first-person narrative flails aroundin an excellent imitation of afreshman, complete with volume changes, dumb jokes, and sudden flashes of elation and despair. Occasionally poignant and frequently hilarious, this will amusescads of male readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Incoming freshman Carter bumbles his way onto the football and swim teams and into the school musical, all the while battling his self-identified attention-deficit disorder--and attempting to lose his virginity. There's some implausibility to the plot, but that's hardly the point; readers will snort and guffaw at the wannabe lewd exploits (and matching vulgar language) of Carter and his friends.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)