Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love

February 6, 2006
Narrator Felicia has a crush on science-obsessed Matthew, so she proposes a science project for them to work on together: to "unmask the meaning of X" ("the thing that makes Love Work Out"). Of course, first Felicia must confess her feelings, but once she makes that leap, Matthew admits he "think we could win the science fair with this one." The fast-paced, slang-driven narration in this debut novel takes a bit of getting used to (Felicia sprinkles the narrative with poems, friendship rules, known as Kitten Directives, and lots of capital letters) but, once hooked, readers will race along with the heroine as she and Matthew explore love's strange phenomena, such as "Romantic Setting" and "the Romeo/Juliet Thing." The 14-year-old's alternative New York City school provides plenty of other likeable, offbeat characters, such as a sitar teacher who reveals her personal love story in a Hindi love song. As Felicia watches other friends connect—and miss—she discovers that even she gives off her own brand of X. Readers may not be surprised about the pair's scientific conclusions, but they will certainly have a positive reaction to this fun, original plot. Ages 12-up.

February 1, 2006
Gr 6-9 -This lightweight foray into the love life of 14-year-old haiku-writing Felicia, one of the supremely self-confident -sex kittens - at the Manhattan Free Children -s School (aka the -Pound -) will provide hours of laughter and empathetic nods from readers who enjoy the trendy lingo. The Pound is a free-spirited place where students can cut class at will, never do homework, and spend lots of time doing extremely original projects, and Felicia and her fellow kittens, Jess and Kat, make the most of every opportunity. The -Horn Dawgs - are the male students, and Felicia has zeroed in on making her science fair project a study on the Search for X, otherwise known as the thing that makes the one you love love you back. The Dawg participant is Matthew, the object of her affection. While the title might make some adults cringe, in fact the story is nearly squeaky clean and lots of good fun with a predictable but happy ending." -Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Crushing on Matthew, her science-whiz classmate, Felicia proposes that together they investigate what powers her unrequited attraction. Despite their best efforts, Matthew and Felicia can't determine an "X-factor" but instead learn much about love and themselves. The hollow characters are hard to relate to, but the premise is refreshingly original.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 15, 2005
Gr. 7-10. After 14-year-old Felicia falls for Matthew, a passionate science student at their alternative Manhattan school, she concocts a scheme to kindle his affections. Framing her unrequited crush as a scientific query, she proposes a joint science fair project to investigate love's "X-factor"--"Why some combinations of people fall in love and some don't." Matthew accepts, and their research, involving fellow students and the adults in their world, drives this uproariously funny debut novel. The premise is farfetched; could any teen so calmly discuss with her crush why he doesn't return her feelings? But like any romantic farce, realism gives way to giddy humor, intrigues, and captivating characters, while Felicia's strong, pitch-perfect narration will easily win readers, whether she is talking about her New Age mother ("Can someone give peace a frikkin' chance already, so the poor woman can MOVE ON?"), chatting with her best friends, or musing about love. Despite the potentially suggestive title, the characters are intellectually, not sexually, precocious, and this will appeal most to young, gifted teens feeling the shock of their own first crushes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)