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Luisa "Lu" Perez is one of nine other girls in her high school with the same name. As far as she's concerned, there's nothing that makes her stand out from the crowd – and she likes it that way. In fact, none of the teenagers at Dunfield High are particularly active in school spirit. So when the principal enters the school in a city-wide literacy challenge and pits boys against girls, it becomes apparent that the only way to win the sweet prize (an extra two weeks Christmas vacation plus a few extra days spring vacation) is to start joining in activities.
Lu's English teacher drafts her to write anonymous articles chronicling the Literacy Challenge from a girl's point of view and enlists an unnamed boy to write for the other side. What starts off as weekly reports from the front lines of the Literacy Challenge quickly turns into a gender war as Lu finds herself being pursued and at times baited in the school paper by her male counterpart. If only she knew who he was!
Girl v. Boy is a lot of fun to read. Watching Lu try to navigate the world of dating and journalism while also attempting to figure out the identity of the anonymous male writer kept this reader guessing right along with Luisa. Even though Dunfield High School is populated mainly by Hispanic students, the book isn't filled with Spanish phrases that would stump a non-Spanish speaker.
Although Luisa comes from a hardworking family, it isn't without its problems: her sister and her baby have moved back home and displaced Lu from her room, and Lu's mother works multiple jobs just to keep food on the table. The glimpse into Lu's life is a refreshing change from the Prada-obsessed, Sevens-wearing characters that populate many teen stories nowadays.
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Girl v. Boy