Teenage angst may be no laughing matter, but readers will find it hard not to giggle over the misadventures of Elish's (The Worldwide Dessert Contest) 5'1½" eighth-grade narrator, Matt Greene, who is constantly outshined by his best friend, Keith Livingston. Deep down, Matt admires his buddy—who has "pathologically straight" teeth, has made out with "more girls than [Matt has] toes" and writes a rock musical acclaimed by his classmates—but that doesn't always stop Matt's "Jealousy Quotient" from ratcheting up. One night, Matt vents his frustration in the form of a series of rather nasty wishes, and suddenly the tide starts to turn. Keith experiences a string of disasters while Matt repeatedly comes out on top—until Matt is "blindsided" by a "mega guilt wave." While the question of whether or not Matt is truly responsible for Keith's bad luck remains satisfyingly ambiguous, Elish sends the clear message that not even a "stud/athlete/Adonis" is immune from growing pains. However familiar the premise, the delivery is witty and potent, as fast-paced as the New York City setting. Readers will appreciate the humorous approach to sex, too (after Keith describes his date with a 10th-grader, Matt confesses, "It rattled through my brain over and over and over again like a mantra from a place where sexually immature eighth graders go to die: 'Keith got to third with Wendie Culhane!...' "). Good quick fun. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
