School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9Nick Kramer just has to beat the popular and charismatic Mitch Buckley at something. When beautiful Jennifer Edwards comes into the picture, Nick bets Mitch that she will ask him to the upcoming ``Vice-Versa'' dance. And so Nick takes a baby-sitting and child-care class to convince the cool but shallow Jennifer that he is a ``sensitive guy,'' not realizing that the class requires actual baby-sitting. His charge is rambunctious, eight-year-old Ben, who at first seems impossible but eventually becomes a friend. Nick's endeavors with Jennifer and Ben eventually teach him about commitment and real friendship. This is an upbeat, humorous story that imparts the importance of being oneself and of not taking for granted those who really care. The colloquial, conversational style of Nick's first-person narrative adds believability to it. He is an affable character with whom readers can easily identify because of his wish to be liked and to win at all costs. The ploys he erroneously uses to gain Jennifer's trust and companionship ring true, and the lessons he learns are sound.Carrie A. Guarria, Lindenhurst Memorial Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Nick Kramer enrolls in a child-care class, hoping to convince Jennifer, the beautiful new girl at school, of his sensitivity so she will ask him instead of his nemesis to the Vice-Versa Dance. Unfortunately, his experiences with baby-sitting and with Jennifer do not turn out as planned. A likably awkward narrator, Nick tells a funny story, but the plot devolves into predictable scenarios. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr 5^-8. After spending the summer lifting weights and acquiring a new wardrobe, high-school freshman Nick Kramer decides he is ready to take on arch rival Mitch Buckley. The boys make a bet on which of them newcomer Jennifer Edwards will invite to the Vice-Versa dance; the loser agrees to dance alone in a tutu in front of the school. Mitch opts for standard macho guy tactics, but Nick resolves to become more sensitive--by enrolling in the Baby-sitting and Child Care class. Although the results are predictable (Nick is appalled that he has to actually baby-sit but comes to love his obstreperous charge and meets the girl of his dreams), Howe provides plenty of laughs, clever dialogue, and a cast of familiar, albeit stereotyped, characters. Based on a screenplay for the Disney Channel, this will be popular with preteens. --Kay Weisman
