Tutored

Whittenberg's preachy fourth novel is a classic wrong-side-of-the-tracks romance between two African-American teenagers, Wendy Anderson and Hakiam Powell, who have had very different upbringings. The narrative alternates between their day-to-day struggles: Wendy lives in an affluent, primarily white suburb of Philadelphia, while Hakiam has been through foster care and then juvie for shoplifting in Cincinnati ("For him, anywhere he went in America would be the third world"). When Hakiam moves to Philly and decides to get his GED, he meets Wendy, who is working as a tutor; they initially butt heads, but soon become a couple, learning about each other's worlds. Whittenberg (Hollywood and Maine) attempts to get at important issues regarding prejudice within the black community, largely through the straitlaced character of Wendy's father, but his arrogant and dismissive attitudes are unconvincing and approach caricature ("Now that's what I call singing," he says, grooving to a corny mall musician. "No filthy lyrics like those ignorant rappers that get played on the radio"). With underdeveloped characters and a too-tidy ending, the story can't escape the feel of an after-school special. Ages 14–up. (Dec.)