Me and Miranda Mullaly

Smart, talented, and socially conscious eighth grader Miranda Mullaly has no idea that classmates Sam, Duke, and Chollie all have crushes on her. She's too wrapped up in the boyfriend they don't know about. Each boy attempts to win Miranda's heart by vying to become her lab partner, trying out for the school musical, being on student council, and hoping to impress her at the Valentine's Day dance. Their competition peaks during an ill-timed snow battle while shoveling at Miranda's house. It's an amusing rivalry premise told from the three boys' perspectives, with occasional emails and writing assignments providing insights into Miranda. Unfortunately, first-time author Gerhardt's characters are rather two-dimensional: Duke is a short-tempered caricature of nerdiness (who sounds like a grumpy old man using words like "rapscallion" and "hooligans"), while Sam is a typically clueless class clown who knows nothing about girls his age. Luckily, there's good-natured jock Chollie, who may not always say or do the right thing, but who gives the story its emotional heart. Ages 10%E2%80%93up. Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Jan.)