Love and Other Unknown Variables

Gr 9 Up—Charlie believes that all problems can be solved using science and math, and his experiences at the Brighton School of Math haven't changed his perspective at all. His classmates are used to tormenting the English teacher, who is driven away each year by pranks that are somehow ignored by an administration that places little value on the subject. On the first day of his senior year, however, everything changes when he meets a beautiful stranger at Krispy Kreme and discovers that her older sister is the new English teacher. Charlotte of donut shop fame begins to hang out at his house with his younger sister Becca, both of whom attend a different high school and have become good friends, which is a surprise to everyone who knows how anxiety interferes with Becca's social life (or lack thereof). Charlie's plan to focus on his goal of attending MIT comes to a crashing halt when he finds himself falling hard and fast for a girl who has a fatal problem he can't solve. Charlotte and Charlie make a sweet couple, but it is Charlie who steals the show, as Alexander creates a believably confused adolescent frustrated by his feelings and his lack of control over the cancer that is destined to take Charlotte from him. Perfect for fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and Lurlene McDaniel's fiction.—Kerry Sutherland, Akron-Summit County Public Library, OH