One Butt Cheek at a Time

October 15, 2007
First-time novelist Kizer launches a projected YA series with this occasionally witty tale of 15-year-old Gert Garibaldi. She’s a Brain (smart kid) struggling to fit into her high school world filled with Pops (popular kids), Giggles (trendy kids), and Things (bad boys/jocks). Best friend Adam serves as Gert’s lifeline and confidant, until he meets a cute boy and drops her like a hot potato. With no one to help her cope with some cringeworthy parenting and two burgeoning crushes, the sarcastic Gert flounders before pouring her heart into a diary. Titling entries either rants or raves, Gert’s writings on random topics humorously showcase her angst. However, these entries crop up somewhat abruptly throughout the narrative, often breaking its flow. The author also endows Gert with a fascination with sex and her body, which at first makes her seem real and representative of the target audience, but later goes too far, so that Gert sounds almost fixated. When appraising her appearance in the mirror, Gert says in a panic, “Mts. Everest and Kilimanjaro squished together are less conspicuous than my ass…. I have the world’s largest tush. I require a UN escort for international travel. Maybe even NATO.” Younger teen readers will relate to Gert’s insecurity and to her typical troubles, but even they may tire of her self-obsessed ramblings. Ages 14-up.

March 1, 2008
Gr 7-10-Gert, 15, has a totally original voice, hilarious but so sarcastic and negative that she's sometimes unlikable in the first part of this book. She changes over the course of the novel to someone more balanced, but one has to wonder if readers will stick with her while she gets her act together. She has a gay best friend, Adam, who goes with Tim. Gert has an unrequited crush on Tim's twin, struggles when Adam's relationship overshadows their friendship, and snipes about teachers, cliques, eyebrow plucking, and life in general. Her first-person narrative alternates with her ramblings in script, which will be difficult for reluctant readers to tackle. At first, these cursive sections are random rants but later make more sense in context. "Sorry: tangent" is dropped in every so often to indicate that Gert has gone off the point; the device is distracting and unnecessary. When her health teacher introduces a frank and educational exploration of female genitals, Gert feels better about herself and "her sexual being," and, in turn, everyone else. She finds new friends and a boyfriend, and her self-esteem is no longer dependent on Adam. Gert's self-centeredness limits her impact, and Adam and her boyfriend aren't fully fleshed out. Nobody but Gert, with her opinions, passions, and quirky insights, really matters. And that is problematic enough to make this unique but flawed book an additional purchase."Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2008
Brainy sophomore Gert doesn't fit in. She's always had her best friend Adam, but now that he has a boyfriend, Gert feels even more alone. Though she projects a tough exterior, Gert is actually insecure and lonely. Adam confronts Gert about her self-pitying "boring rambling," and readers may likewise lose patience with her cynical, though sometimes surprisingly perceptive, "rants and raves."

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)