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Beth Cooper Inspires A Great Read

WWW.KANSASCITY.COM
THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2007
THE KANSAS CITY STAR.
E3
TeenStar
No brainer
MyTeenStarTV
“More Than 9,500 — Quarter of All Seniors — Fail
TeenStars discuss what precautions to take
High School Exit Exam”
when leaving the house: 12:30 p.m. Sunday,
| A recent headline in The Salt Lake (Utah.) Tribune
Channel 62 or cable Channel 10.
TEENSTAR: A VOICE OF, BY AND FOR TEENS
BOOK REVIEW
RELATIONSHIPS | Giving the wrong impression
SUDDENLY,
AN AIRHEAD
/E003/METRO
Pretending to be less
smart is common, but
it often backfires.
By JOEY SOTO
TeenStar
The 2004 blockbuster
“Mean Girls” portrays an
intelligent and beautiful
Beth
high school girl pursuing a rela-
tionship with the stereotypical
“hot jock” football player. To steal
his heart, she deliberately fails
Cooper
math tests so she can get the jock
to tutor her.
More recently Disney got in on
the act with “High School Musi-
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inspires a
cal,” where Gabriella Montez at-
tempts to cover up her intelli-
gence to get Troy Bolton, the star
great read
basketball player.
But girls dumbing down to
avoid scaring off the guys of their
dreams is hardly just the stuff of
By AMANDA DOTY
movies or popular television
TeenStar
shows like “Desperate House-
wives.” It happens in high schools
I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry
all over Greater Kansas City.
Doyle, Ecco, hardcover $19.95, 272 pages
Do the girls really think guys
don’t notice? Some girls may
What do you get when you mix ro-
think most guys are slow to catch
mance and action, comedy and tragedy?
on, but not all males.
You get what very possibly could be the
“I think you can tell (when a
next great coming-of-age novel.
girl is dumbing down) just by the
In I Love You, Beth Cooper, by Larry
way they’re talking to you, be-
Doyle, readers meet Denis Cooverman,
cause you can tell it’s fake,” said
valedictorian, master debater and very
Jordan Hinck, a Truman High
sweat-prone nerd.
grad headed to Missouri State in
He, as the title states, is infatuated with
the fall. “A girl feels that for a guy
the school’s head cheerleader, Beth
to like her she needs to be on a
Cooper. He affirms his love, as well as
lower level. It’s almost like a prec-
other unspoken truths about his class, in
edent has been set (that a girl has
his graduation speech.
to be inferior in intelligence in
This causes problems for the exposed
the relationship).”
classmates, as well as for Denis, when
Spencer Bergsten, an incoming
Beth’s jealous, Army boyfriend finds him.
senior at Truman High, says: “I
Many beatings, at least 10 broken laws
notice girls dumbing down. What
and heaps of laughs ensue as readers fol-
makes it obvious is that the type
low Denis through graduation night.
of girls that dumb down seem-
Larry Doyle has a way of making even
ingly underestimate the intellect
the saddest and most touching moments
of who they are dumbing down
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hilarious and disgusting. One thing he
for and in the end it hurts their
does not do, however, is keep his debut
image and relationships more
novel clean.
than it helps.”
If readers have problems with cursing
Bryan Van Fleet, soon to be a
and nudity, this book is not for them.
freshman at University of Central
There is nothing over-the-top disturbing,
Missouri, said he sees girls dumb-
but the book would be unsuitable for
ing down but only in certain sit-
younger readers.
uations.
Gross-out humor and all, however, this
“Usually you only see it in open
book is definitely worth the time. Each
settings with a lot of people
chapter begins with a quote from great
around,” Van Fleet said. “Hardly
high school movies like “Grease” and
ever in a one-on-one situation
“Pretty in Pink,” as well as a picture of
has a girl ever pulled the ditsy
what Denis looks like during the events
card to try and flirt with me.”
of the book. This is a must-read for dis-
An article posted on heyugly
tant, recent or future grads, as long as
.com, a popular teen Web site fo-
they do not object to less-than-clean sit-
rum, lists young men, parents and
uations.
SEE RELATIONSHIPS | E5
Reach Amanda Doty, a Raytown senior, at
teenstar@kcstar.com.
ILLUSTRATION BY ALYSSA JOLITZ | TEENSTAR
SCENE
06/21/2007
How to completely waste your summer
By JORDAN PAYNE
1. For the love
3. Don’t prepare for any up-
7. Become addicted to at least
TeenStar
of Pete …
coming schoolwork. SAT and
three random shows. Suggestions
DON’T get a
ACT prep is for losers, as is sum-
include: reruns of “That ’70s
You’ve finished your last final.
job! Jobs and
mer reading!
Show,” “Scrubs,” “Entourage,”
You’ve signed yearbooks ’til
money are so
4. Official summer bedtime: 3
“Sex and the City,” “Friends” and
your pen ran dry and disgusted
overrated. Jobs
a.m., official wake-up time: 1 p.m.
Dane Cook’s “Tourgasm.” When
yourself with how many times
are for parents
Any good “chill session” with
necessary, alter your 1 p.m.
you were able to smile and say,
and boring peo-
friends lasts until at least 2:30
wake-up time to catch every epi-
“Let’s hang out this summer!”
ple who ac-
a.m., and the best time for tan-
sode of your favorite sitcom.
Payne
Ah, summer! That glorious
tually like to
ning is about 2 p.m., after a lei-
8. Check your Facebook or
(yet way overhyped) time of the
work. You have the rest of your
surely brunch and a gathering of
MySpace page at least six times a
year when you can sit around, let
life for that. Besides, what job
your pool attire.
day. Along with the constant need
your brain rot while playing Su-
will allow you to stroll in at 1
5. Spend any extra cash on sun-
to check and update your profile,
per Paper Mario, slather on baby
p.m. (which is positively the
glasses, lip gloss and fake jew-
you must take your digital camera
oil while metaphorically giving
EARLIEST you wake up)?
elry. Two words: Forever 21.
everywhere to document your ev-
the finger to skin cancer and oth-
2. Devote your life to all things
6. Let your room become a pig-
ery move, a weird face and/or
erwise be completely useless
pleasurable (don’t get the wrong
sty. Trust me, you’ll be able to
funny-looking object that you en-
while reassuring yourself that af-
idea here …). I mean simply, if
find most everything you need,
counter along your way. And then
ter a grueling school year, “you
you don’t enjoy doing something
considering that you’ll be living
post them on your homepage so
deserve it.”
… DON’T DO IT. Summer is for
in one swimsuit, your iPod, sun-
you can tag others, and then oth-
Here are a few tips to make the
chilling, NOT reading, working,
glasses, a pair of jeans and those
ers can tag you and so on …
most out of any wasteful (and
jogging or straining your brain in
one or two shirts you wear to the
Reach Jordan Payne, a Pembroke
yet, utterly fulfilling) summer:
any way.
occasional party.
Hill senior, at teenstar@kcstar.com.
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