Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this book is about a girl who starts a cheating ring, making money by doing other kids' homework and roping in other smart kids to help her. There is some kissing, some label dropping, and a swear word here and there. More importantly, there is also some complicated material that could come off as sexual harassment. Though it's played for laughs, Maya is taken against her will by rich Camden to his house, where he proceed to slip into the hot tub. When Maya complains about being kidnapped, he tells her "No one would ever believe you." In another plot point, a boy that Maya gently rejects gets mad and ends up blackmailing her; she gets an extension by whispering in his ear, which she admits is the "closest to prostitution" as she's come.
Families can talk about cheating. Parents can use this book to remind kids of the rules -- and the consequences both at home and at school. Parents could also talk to their kids about cheating in the media. It's become a hot-button issue in the past few years. Are more kids cheating now than before? If so, is this because of the pressure kids feel to succeed? Do your kids see a lot of cheating going on around their schools?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
This is the first novel from a writer who also helps pen Family Guy. And, really, Cheva's book has a lot in common with a TV show: It's filled with fast-paced dialogue, some outrageous moments, and fairly predictable characters and plotting. Her protagonist Maya has some great deadpan lines. (When Camden remarks that Asians are supposed to be good at math, she snaps, "Yes, my people all do math for fun, while simultaneously dry-cleaning our karate outfits and giving each other manicures and pedicures, all in between are numerous piano and violin recitals.") She is complex, too: While she starts off her cheating ring only to pay a bill that could shut down her parents' restaurant, she ends up getting into the money and popularity that she gets from doing the A-list's dirty work.
Readers may not quite buy the ending (the principal actually lets Maya and the other students involved in the cheating ring off with only a three-day suspension). But in the end, they will applaud Maya's transformation into a complete (and more honest) person. And they will appreciate that she maintains her spunk, even after learning a lesson -- and falling in love.
From The Book
I sank to the floor, pulling my knees up to my chin, then glanced down and looked at the books Camden had given me. It was another algebra assignment and a chemistry problem set, with a Post-it note stuck on top that read, $200. A quick mental calculation told me that after this assignment, I would be three percent of the way to my $10,000 goal. Great. Awesome. Not nearly fast enough, but it was a start. I'd earn the money, pay the fine, save the restaurant, and save my college fund. No problem.
It was doable. It was totally doable.
Plot Summary:
When Maya's parents leave their Thai restaurant in the kids' hands for a weekend, they think they can trust their overachieving, responsible daughter. But she and her brother decide not to clean up after a long night -- the night before a surprise health inspector visit. Now, Maya's got to figure out a way to pay back $10,000 without her parents finding out. So she pairs up with a rich bad boy to start doing homework for money. Soon, the demand gets so great that Maya has to recruit her other smart friends into the ring, which increases the danger of being found out.
Related Books:
Other Books with Asian Protagonists:
Good Enough by Paula Yoo
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
American Born Chinese by Gene Yang
Fresh Off the Boat by Melissa de la Cruz
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
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Sexual ContentSome kissing. |
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Violence |
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LanguageThe occasional "bitch" or "ass." |
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Message |
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Social BehaviorA bunch of kids start a cheating ring. Eventually Maya learns to be more honest. Also, though it is played for laughs, Maya is taken against her will by rich Camden to his house, where he proceeds to slip into the hot tub. When Maya complains about being kidnapped, he tells her "No one would ever believe you." |
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CommercialismA sprinkling: Stila lip gloss, Road Rules, Doritos, Oreos, Pop Tarts, etc. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoCamden drinks at Maya's restaurant and he and Maya joke about how he'll be drunk at his party. |
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