What We’re Reading

Thou Shalt not Dump the Skater Dude | Rosemary Graham

Rating:

Kelsey is less than pleased when her mother informs her they’ll be moving to California prior to her eighth grade year. On top of this, she’ll be enrolled in Susan B. Anthony—a high profile, exclusive private school for girls. Which, as Kelsey will soon inform you, is not at all what it’s cracked up to be. Despite it’s pleasant PR promises, Kelsey’s only friend that first year comes from outside the school. And if not for shared family events, she and Amy might never have hit it off either.

When her parents start pushing for a Private High School as well, Kelsey knows she has to take action. Making a compelling argument, she gets them to agree to consider EBH, the Public High School, as long as she will at least tour Scholastic—the most prestigious of the private schools. In the end, with the promise to enroll in extracurricular activities, Kelsey wins the argument, and life seems to be looking up. Until she’s informed she’ll be spending her summer babysitting her little brother at the Skate Park.

The idea enthralls neither of the siblings, who strike a deal. Josh will skate, Kelsey will sit off in the park reading, and they will only communicate when necessary. Things run along smoothly until the day Kelsey decides to take a go at the skating bowl herself. Not having skated in some time, she quickly proceeds to take a face plant. Not only that, when the famous C.J. Logan comes to lend her a hand, she elbows him in the jaw. But none of it seems to matter. He becomes her brother’s personal mentor, and she becomes his girl.

And so goes Freshman year. Watching skate practice in the afternoons, going to competitions on the weekends. Her family loves C.J., and his family, but wants to know what’s happened to the activities she was excited about. Realizing she may lose her right to public school, Kelsey signs up for yearbook, where almost nothing is expected of her.

When the end of the school year hits, after betraying Amy when she was in need, losing half of her special day with C.J. to skating yet again, and realizing she’s not much more to him than a Fan with benefits, Kelsey calls it quits. C.J. took it hard. Worried about him, Kelsey logged on to his blog on summer day to see if he was alright, only to discover herself being bashed. When she attempts to defend herself, she only makes it worse, as he responds with even more lies.

Sophomore year looms, and Kelsey feels only dread. Amy assures her that it will have blown over by then. That other people have their own drama, and won’t be obsessing over hers. Still, now forced with dealing with the big questions of who she is and where she’s going with her life, Kelsey approaches the year with mild trepidation.

This is actually a really enjoyable book to read, for all that it centers around so many unhappy topics. The narration is so blunt and straightforward, it’s hard not to laugh. Because looking back, even Kelsey knows she should have known better. And at some time, haven’t we all?

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