Tell it to Naomi

Publishers Weekly

Full of pep and laugh-aloud humor, this New York City-based novel relates the travails of narrator Dave Rosen, member of the "species [of]... puny, skinny, and awkward" sophomore boys at Roosevelt High. At first, Dave is eager to pose as his big sister, Naomi, an unemployed journalist who's been asked to pen an advice column for the school newspaper. He's well prepared to deal with the woes of his mostly female readers, since he always has been surrounded by women-his single mother and aunt as well as Naomi.("My mom and Aunt Ruth inhabit a bizarre parallel universe where a woman can be both celibate Jewish ogre and funky, aging hippie-and there is no contradiction," he says with typical acerbity.) However, Dave soon finds out that leading a secret life as a wise and witty columnist isn't all that it's cracked up to be. For one thing, he has trouble distinguishing the phony letters he receives from the sincere ones. Also, by keeping his identity a secret, he misses his chance to impress the "beautiful" and "mysterious" new senior, Celeste. By the time Dave realizes that honesty really is the best policy, he owes apologies to a long list of people. Once again, Ehrenhaft (as Daniel Parker, author of the first three Wessex Papers novels) showcases snappy dialogue and an impeccable sense of timing. Readers will gleefully follow Dave into and out of his amusingly complicated web of deceit. Ages 12-up. (June) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Dave Rosen falls for Celeste Fanucci on his second day of high school. He doubts anything will come of it, since he is a sophomore and she is a senior. Dave lives in a fourth floor walk-up on the Lower East Side with his sister, Naomi, and his mom and aunt, who both work. Naomi recently graduated in journalism and is looking for work. Dave feels he has no one to confide in about Celeste since his grade school friend, "Cheese," now goes to private school and ignores him. Dave becomes the advice columnist for the school newspaper through Naomi's intervention with the newspaper's teacher-advisor who is her boyfriend. Dave hopes to use the column to influence Celeste. The column is a huge success. Since Dave uses Naomi's name for the column the teacher-advisor believes Naomi is writing the column. When the advisor arranges a meeting of fans for "Naomi" to be revealed, Dave is beside himself. This fun story of an angst-ridden fourteen year old speaks to teens where they live. 2004, Delacorte Press/Random House Children's Books, Ages 12 up.
—Carlee Hallman

KLIATT

This light tale will entertain all those YAs who love to gossip and use the computer to communicate with other teenagers hiding behind false identities. Naomi is Dave's older sister, a college graduate who is depressed and back home, discouraged in her search for a job in journalism. Dave is struggling socially in high school, yearning for beautiful girls who ignore him. Naomi is friends with one of the teachers at the school, who proposes a "Dear Naomi" column for the high school; and after a convoluted maze of deception, Dave actually writes the answers to the letters, pretending to be Naomi. Since he has grown up with women—raised by his mother, his aunt, and his older sister—he is accustomed to talking about feelings and it's easy for him to answer the e-mail letters that come in for the column. Of course, each writer disguises his or her identity with a false name, and follow-up correspondence between Dave and each writer helps Dave to see the letter writers as individuals, but he doesn't actually know their identities and of course they think he is Naomi. There is a final reckoning, of course, and all is revealed, with some real surprises. This is fun entertainment. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Random House, Delacorte, 200p., Ages 12 to 18.
—Claire Rosser

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-According to friends and family, Dave Rosen is in touch with his feminine side and doesn't talk like a "normal" guy; in short, he is sensitive. A sophomore, he is trying to navigate through high school, friendships, and the typical angst associated with adolescence. He finds himself infatuated with a new student, who is a senior, and therefore untouchable. To try and get close to Celeste, who authored an advice column for the newspaper at her former school, Dave comes up with the idea of writing one of his own. His sister, a recent college grad and unemployed journalist, pitches the idea to Joel, the newspaper's teacher advisor, who also happens to be her ex-boyfriend. He loves the sample she sends him, but refuses to believe that Dave wrote it, since it sounds like a feminine voice, and assumes that Naomi is the author. The siblings agree to keep the real author a secret and the column becomes an instant success. In a scene reminiscent of one in Todd Strasser's The Wave (Turtleback, 1981), Dave finally tells the truth during a speech at school; faculty members are angry about the lie and his classmates feel betrayed. The plot is weak and convoluted; the characters are believable but not endearing. Students who want a male perspective on high school would be better served by Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl (Knopf, 2000) or by one of Chris Crutcher's books.-Angela M. Boccuzzi, Merton Williams' Middle School, Hilton, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Sophomore scrub Dave Rosen falls head over heels for bohemian senior Celeste Fanucci at first sight. Decked out in long, flowery dresses with Birkenstocks on her feet, Dave immediately knows Celeste is "the one," and yearns for a way into her heart. Enter the cunning brain of his 20-something sister, Naomi, a struggling journalist hunting for both a job and infamy to go with it. By convincing Dave to tack her own name to his advice column in the school newspaper, she unknowingly helps him devise a scheme to worm his way into Celeste's heart. Of course, not everything goes as planned, and Dave eventually finds he must answer both to the school faculty and the student body that he advises. Articulate, interesting, yet somewhat stilted, Ehrenhaft's abundant exposition, high number of central characters, and lilting plot may try the patience of less persistent readers. However, hangers-on will definitely relish his easy style, well-conceived characterizations, and Dave's humorous insight and plight as he balances changing friendships, first love, and his notorious, new-found alter-ego. (Fiction. YA)