Overview
Kyra Evans isn't popular, or a girl who you stare at when you are walking down the hall. So why can't Jason-basketball star and the hottest guy in school-get her out of his head? Under normal circumstances, Jason and Kyra would live in their separate worlds up until graduation. But fate intervenes and the unlikely duo is paired up for a class project. Preconceived notions abound on both sides but Kyra soon realizes that Jason is not the dumb jock that she had assumed him to be. And Jason finds himself telling Kyra things he can't even tell his best friend. As the two become friends and eventually start to fall in love, no one in school can believe it-especially not Jason's ex, who is determined to break them up. Being together means navigating the obstacles that are coming their way-but staying apart may be impossible.
Synopsis
Kyra Evans isn't popular, or a girl who you stare at when you are walking down the hall. So why can't Jason-basketball star and the hottest guy in school-get her out of his head? Under normal circumstances, Jason and Kyra would live in their separate worlds up until graduation. But fate intervenes and the unlikely duo is paired up for a class project. Preconceived notions abound on both sides…but Kyra soon realizes that Jason is not the dumb jock that she had assumed him to be. And Jason finds himself telling Kyra things he can't even tell his best friend. As the two become friends and eventually start to fall in love, no one in school can believe it-especially not Jason's ex, who is determined to break them up. Being together means navigating the obstacles that are coming their way-but staying apart may be impossible.
Publishers Weekly
Davidson, a high school teacher, debuts with a tried-and-true teen romance, unusual chiefly for its setting in an affluent black suburb of Detroit. Jason, 16, is gorgeous, smart, graceful on the basketball court, and he dates popular, beautiful Lisa. But "fine-as-hell, super-jock, popular-as-Nikes-in-the-NBA, can-have-anybody-he-wants" Jason falls for "double-brained-nappy-headed-sweet-but-nobody" Kyra, his nonconformist, highly academic research partner from AP English class. Davidson describes the beginnings of their mutual attraction in spine-tinglingly prolonged detail, effectively camouflaging the staple elements of her plot: only Kyra understands that Jason, whose mother died when he was three and whose father leaves on frequent business trips, experiences his solitude as loneliness, not as freedom to do as he likes; Lisa, furious at being dumped by Jason, gets revenge in a manner that will be familiar to readers of middle-grade and YA fiction. But other story lines advance the narrative, too, such as Kyra's dedication to her project for a Westinghouse-like national science competition. Readers with an appetite for love stories are likely to follow Jason and Kyra's pas de deux from its beginning straight through to its satisfying end. Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Davidson, a high school teacher, debuts with a tried-and-true teen romance, unusual chiefly for its setting in an affluent black suburb of Detroit. Jason, 16, is gorgeous, smart, graceful on the basketball court, and he dates popular, beautiful Lisa. But "fine-as-hell, super-jock, popular-as-Nikes-in-the-NBA, can-have-anybody-he-wants" Jason falls for "double-brained-nappy-headed-sweet-but-nobody" Kyra, his nonconformist, highly academic research partner from AP English class. Davidson describes the beginnings of their mutual attraction in spine-tinglingly prolonged detail, effectively camouflaging the staple elements of her plot: only Kyra understands that Jason, whose mother died when he was three and whose father leaves on frequent business trips, experiences his solitude as loneliness, not as freedom to do as he likes; Lisa, furious at being dumped by Jason, gets revenge in a manner that will be familiar to readers of middle-grade and YA fiction. But other story lines advance the narrative, too, such as Kyra's dedication to her project for a Westinghouse-like national science competition. Readers with an appetite for love stories are likely to follow Jason and Kyra's pas de deux from its beginning straight through to its satisfying end. Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.VOYA
Kyra Evans keeps telling herself that they are just friends. Jason Vincent, the captain of the basketball team, has a girlfriend, and Kyra is not part of the in-crowd. Worse, Kyra is a bit of a nerd, and Jason is probably just another "dumb jock." A few phone calls while working on a project could not possibly mean anything. Readers will be drawn in as this unlikely couple manages to fall in love. As the romance heats up, sexual situations increasingly become a part of this love story. But as in any romance worth reading, Jason and Kyra experience some rocky times as well. Jason seems to be still sexually involved with his ex-girlfriend Lisa—or is he? Despite the slow pace, predictable plot, and stilted dialogue—"Get the hell outta Dodge!"—first-time novelist Davidson offers a contemporary story that features likeable African American characters with goals and promising futures. Although Lisa often refers to Kyra's natural hairstyle as "nappy hair," there is no real focus on race-related social ills. For those looking for contemporary books about African American youth who are not living in poverty, on drugs, or in jail, this book will probably appeal. Students interested in science will be drawn to the book as well and will appreciate Kyra's devotion to a science project that could win her a $50,000 scholarship. No matter how many love-and-loss stories readers encounter, hopeless romantics will cheer when Kyra and Jason unite and then reunite. VOYA Codes 3Q 2P S (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 327p., Ages 15 to 18.—KaaVoniaHinton-Johnson
Children's Literature
Jason is a popular basketball star and center of the most popular crowd at Cross High School. Kyra is a smart girl focused on a prestigious science competition who does not pay attention to the high school cliques. What do these two have in common? Not much, until they are paired for a research project in their English AP class. They develop a mutual respect, which leads to friendship, and eventually to romance. Soon Kyra finds herself having more fun than she has ever had before, and Jason finds himself sharing confidences that he has never told anyone else. But the road of young love is rarely easy. Can their growing attraction withstand the skepticism and challenges posed by their peers? Will Kyra and Jason be able to define the terms of their relationship together—or will the fears they must face ultimately tear them apart? Dana Davidson's first novel is a lushly detailed teen romance set in an affluent African-American suburb of Detroit. 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, Ages 12 to 16.—Heidi Hauser Green