cover image 24 GIRLS IN 7 DAYS

24 GIRLS IN 7 DAYS

Alex Bradley, . . Dutton, $15.99 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-525-47369-5

This comical debut novel introduces high school senior Jack Grammar, who is so unlucky in love that his two best friends go behind his back to design a personal ad for him ("Jack Grammar is looking for a prom date. Could it be you?"). Natalie and Percy tell their pal that there have been a slew of responses, and they design a plan: They will select 24 girls in the seven days before prom, one of whom he will choose for a date. But as he goes on the dates, he connects with many of the girls, and he finds himself falling for Natalie, and a girl he met online whose screen name is FancyPants. Jack is both romantic and self-deprecating ("If this prom slipped by without conjuring up some kind of magic—some romantic miracle—I was pretty sure that it would only be a sign of things to come or, more precisely, a sign of nothing to come"), and the premise is fun. Jack's string of dates grows a tad tiresome, and it takes a long time for him to suspect why so many girls are interested. But Jack's first-person narration will charm most readers, and his family and friends come across as both warm and real; a subplot about Percy's grandfather's heart attack allows Jack to reveal more of his sensitive side. All in all, teens will enjoy getting to know Jack, and speculating on who will be his choice for prom date. Ages 14-up. (Feb.)