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Reviewed by:
  • Pinned
  • Karen Coats
Flake, Sharon . Pinned. Scholastic, 2012. [240p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-545-05718-9 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-545-46984-5 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10.

Autumn and Adonis are both stuck, but in vastly different ways. Autumn, who probably has a learning disability, isn't doing well in her classes; Adonis was born without legs. Despite their disabilities, both teens have skill sets that make them feel strong and proud—Adonis is wicked smart, while Autumn is unbeatable on the wrestling mat. Autumn is also convinced that she and Adonis would make the perfect couple. Her persistence is at times humorous and at times pathetic as a condescending and arrogant Adonis regularly rejects her bold advances, but she steadily chips away at his resistance. As Autumn suffers disappointment at being pulled from the wrestling team for bad grades, Adonis reluctantly learns the humility of falling for a girl who doesn't fit his ideals. The ups and downs of their slowly developing relationship reveal a subtle, affirming vision of the wisdom and compassion of seeing beyond what people present to each other on the surface. As usual, Flake is a perceptive and sympathetic creator of contemporary African-American teens. The alternating narrative voices of Adonis and Autumn clearly point out [End Page 142] their differences in intelligence; that is, Adonis is undeniably book-smart but is sorely in need of an education of the heart, while Autumn understands people and persistence even if her language use is nonstandard. Autumn's heart carries the day here, and readers will feel with her as she leads Adonis to a better understanding of what really matters.

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