The Boy in the Dress
Grade 6&ndash;8&mdash;The protagonist in this offbeat story is Dennis, a 12-year-old boy whose eclectic interests range from football (soccer) to fashion. He's mocked for his purchase ofVoguemagazine but he just can't resist poring over the photo shoots, enamored with the color, cut, and style of women's dresses. Dennis meets up with Lisa, the school hottie, who is two years older and also a fashion aficionado. She plays dress up with Dennis and convinces him to come to school as "Denise," a French exchange student. Hilarity ensues as soccer-star Dennis, outfitted in an orange sequined sheath, complete with wig and makeup, attempts to pull off the ruse. This quirky comedy also has poignant moments between Dennis and his dad and brother. It's a quick read and Blake's stylistic line illustrations are the icing on the cake. All that being said, it's difficult to predict an audience for this book. Younger students may be turned off by the Briticisms, and it's a bit too juvenile for older readers.&mdash;Patricia N. McClune, Conestoga Valley High School, Lancaster, PACopyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.