Tutored by Allison Whittenberg

Wendy Anderson and Hakiam Powell are at opposite ends of the spectrum—the social spectrum, the financial spectrum, the opportunity spectrum, you name it. Wendy lives in an all-white suburb of Philadelphia, where she’s always felt like the only chip in the cookie. Her dad, who fought his way out of the ghetto, doesn’t want her mingling with “those people.” In fact, all Wendy’s life, her father has told her how terrible “those people” are. He even objects to Wendy’s plan to attend a historically black college. But Wendy feels that her race is more than just the color of her skin, and she takes a job tutoring at an inner-city community center to get a more diverse perspective on life.

Hakiam has never lived in one place for more than a couple of years. When he aged out of foster care in Ohio, he hopped a bus to Philly to start over, but now he’s broke, stuck taking care of his cousin’s premature baby for no pay, and finding it harder than ever to stay out of trouble. When he meets Wendy at the tutoring center, he thinks she’s an uppity snob—she can’t possibly understand his life. But as he gets to know her better, he sees a softer side. And eventually—much to the chagrin of Wendy’s father and Hakiam’s cousin—they begin a rocky, but ultimately enlightening, romance.

180 pages
Published Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Released December 14, 2010

Mailed 9/21: 0310 2010 0002 5253 2347

Cassie (PA): Received 9/25, Mailed 9/28: 0309 3220 0002 0205 1986 ( 4 days early)
JL (PA): Received 10/1, Mailed 10/7: 0496 9003 6560 0108 1880 (1 day early)

Melanie (NY): Received 10/12, Mailed 10/19: 9102785091401702549053

Damaris (NJ): Received 10/22, Mailed 10/29: 0310 1230 0000 3240 3930
Kristina (CA): Received: 11/1, Mailed 11/5: 0310 0480 0001 5354 1432 (3 days early)

Lindsay (FL): Received 11/8, Mailed 11/15: 03102010000074306676

Back to Katelyn: Received 11/18