Rating: B-

I picked this book up because I have a real thing for (in terms of loving to) reading books with male protagonists who are written by guys. I bought this book on Saturday afternoon and read it cover to cover in about two hours.

The characters are all funny, and I found myself laughing out loud at a couple of points (especially when Shakespeare gets stoned, not something that I generally love to read about, but he's so funny and Shakespeare decides against ever doing it again because of what happens during his high).

My only real drawback in terms of Wizner's literary debut was the lack of contractions. I know it seems like a little thing, a weird thing, but Americans speak with contractions and to read stilted prose that doesn't utilize any contractions is weird. [Don't believe me? I'll rewrite that previous sentence sans contractions and you can see for yourself. Americans speak with contractions and to read stilted prose that does not utilize any contractions is weird. See, only one contraction, changing "does not" to "doesn't" makes it more readable.]

You might say that's Wizner's editor's problem, but he should have caught that in pre-review. As he was reading aloud (because that's a smart way to do your own self-editing), he should have realized the text wasn't flowing the way a teenager would talk. (And this is kind of a shame because he does a really good job with language choice... making it teenager-esque without sounding like an adult trying to sound like a teenager.)

The book rated a B- because of the stiff language (as referenced above) and the plot was a little bit too textbook. I knew exactly what was going to happen by page 75. (Granted, the fact that I kept reading it even though I knew where it was going should be a feather in Wizner's cap.) ( )

Your fairly standard growing up, knowing thyself and getting the girl YA novel. It was amusing, especially Shakespeare's zany parents and his poop-obsessed best friend, but I think it's difficult to distinguish this book from all the other growing up, knowing thyself and getting the girl YA novels. ( )

I stopped at the chapter on snot.

This book would be good for a teenager looking for something funny and light. ( )

Shakespeare Shapiro feels sorry for himself. He is a senior in a high school that stresses the creative arts and must write a memoir as a final project. His name is weird, his parents are weird, his friends are weird and he has no girlfriend. Then he befriends a girl with problems much larger than his own. ( )