Told in the first person, this debut set in an Oakland, Calif., middle school sacrifices telling details of setting and character to competing plot lines and a tricky premise involving math. Thirteen-year-old Tess uses the idea of numerical ranking ("inequalities") to describe how her relationship changes with handsome, athletic Richard once she discovers he has stolen a test ("I'm a 7, he's a 4"). Then, she uses graphs to explore possible scenarios related to the suspicious death of the wife of a friend of her artist mother ("breathing rate" over "time"). Oh, what's a girl to do? Then, there's her annoying neighbor, a best friend who can't keep her mouth shut and the selection of a dress for the winter formal (try Venn diagrams!). Although this could have used a tighter focus, tweens may actually relate to the playground politics, get caught up with the suspenseful plot and appreciate the accessibility of arithmetic, thanks to Lichtman's lucid descriptions and drawings. (Fiction. 10-14)
Gr 5-9-Tess is having difficulties navigating the troubled waters of eighth grade. Her best friends are spilling her secrets, a cute classmate's cheated on a test and she can't decide whether or not to tell on him, and she believes that a family friend may have murdered his wife. All a girl can depend on is mathematics and, even then, Tess is learning that the answers aren't as simple as she wishes they were. This novel has an interesting premise: mathematical terms and equations can apply to real-life situations and comfort you when the world seems out of control. However, while the concept is intriguing, the execution is disappointing: there isn't enough action to really make the story a page-turner, and many of the characters are not fully fleshed out. The good news is that Lichtman skillfully captures the teenage voice and she clearly knows her middle school lunchroom politics. Also, the way the characters blow each mundane event out of proportion rings true for this age group. The title and cover are fun; put the book on display and it's likely to circulate.-Laura Lutz, Queens Borough Public Library, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.