Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

Book Jacket

Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it.  In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off against his greatest nemesis, get caught up in a messy love triangle, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape death, run from the cops (not once, but twice), meet his match in the form of a curvy drill teamer, and surprise the hell out of everyone, including himself.

Review

I have never been a 14-year-old boy, but when I was that age, I sure liked a bunch of them.  Oh man, now I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to bother.  If real teenage boys are as awful as Carter is, I would never have bothered with the crushes and the drama.

Carter is single-mindedly disgusting.  He and his friends want to get laid, and will do anything with anyone to get some.  Excuse me while I throw up.  There is massive slut-shaming and horrific portrayals of girls as basically walking sex objects. 

Maybe that is normal (I really really hope not).  A point could argued that the author is simply being realistic.  But there's also the issue that Carter makes some really bad decisions (like driving and crashing a car without a license, or running away from the cops) and is never punished for anything!  The cops are apparently too stupid to catch a kid who drove through lawns and plowed down a retaining wall?  And even though his dad catches him, Carter doesn't get in trouble simply because he accidentally insinuates that he might be gay, and that freaks his dad out so much that he forgets about the destroyed property?  WHAT?  I'm sorry, but that is all just awful.

Granted, a lot of this book is hilarious.  I died laughing at one of the most embarrassing first dates ever recorded.  But the fact that Carter consistently skeezed me out meant I mostly hated this book.  I can't for the life of me understand why this is nominated for the Lincoln award.  Carter grows too little, too late.  Not worth it.

Two out of five ADD stutterers who are somehow wildly popular.

Release Date:  May 2010

Reading Level: Grade 9+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: LINCOLN