Two things dear to teen girls—quality extracurriculars that'll look good on college applications and budding romance—collide in Cirrone's (Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You
) lighthearted look at figuring out what's important. Emily Bennet, high school junior, covets the editor-in-chief spot on her school newspaper. She's also ogling Brian, a star basketball player and in-crowd hottie, who also happens to be the boy next door, having recently moved into a McMansion in her Fort Lauderdale neighborhood. Brian shows an interest in Emily just as she and Daniel, a rival for the editor's job, are assigned to write about the upcoming junior prom. A consciousness-raising episode, in which Daniel and Emily witness the near-destruction of a rival school's property but do not act, lead them to spearhead a low-cost alternative prom with a public service component. Then Brian asks her to the “real” prom. Emily is a companionable narrator, witty and self-aware: “I was a reporter on a story. A girl on a mission.... Ahh. Who was I kidding? I was a girl following the crush next door.” Although the author travels well-trod territory, Emily's navigation is fresh and will keep readers going. Ages 12-up. (Feb.)
