cover image ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE, WAR, AND HIGH SCHOOL

ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE, WAR, AND HIGH SCHOOL

Janette Rallison, . . Walker, $16.95 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-8027-8874-0

Rallison's (Playing the Field ) breezy comedy is narrated by Samantha, a popular, self-absorbed head cheerleader who, after receiving abysmal SAT scores, decides that her resumé needs some beefing up if she is going to get into a decent college. When she asks Logan, a fellow junior and her one-time boyfriend, for his help running for student body president, he scoffs—"To campaign, you have to talk to people outside your clique," he tell her. "You can't walk into a room of six people without insulting five of them." Samantha accepts his challenge to avoid insulting anyone for a full week (which is then extended to two weeks), a bet that paves the way for a host of humorous exchanges and near slip-ups. While struggling to hold her tongue and coping with campaign trauma (someone distributes flyers divulging her SAT scores), Samantha must also land a last-minute date for the prom after her current beau dumps her. Though readers will have few doubts about where Samantha and Logan's coy cat-and-mouse game will lead, they will follow along contentedly enough, as appealing characters and snappy dialogue give this light fare a satisfying bite. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)