Joan Kindig, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Delia and Randy have secrets that no one knows. Life in middle school is hard enough but when you can read only the simplest of texts, it is unbearable. Delia works harder than any other student in school, choosing assignments that she can complete without reading. All of her book reports come from watching the movie version and she listens carefully in class to learn the possible differences in the two forms. Randy's dad is a trucker who is very involved in his son's life. Because his Mom is not around, Randy is sometimes left alone while Dad is out on the road. Dad usually makes sure he touches base with Randy every day, but Dad's been gone for a long time and Randy hasn't heard from him. What should he do? Has his dad deserted him like his Mom did? Like a double dutch jump rope routine, Delia and Randy jump in and out of each other's lives paying careful attention to everything around them. If they don't, a misstep could occur and the game is over. Add in to the mixture, twin boys known as the Tolliver Twins who seem to thrive on frightening everyone around them. New to the school, they remain apart and menacing in every class they are in. Fearing violence from these two bullies, the school takes necessary precautions. Middle school has just gotten harder for everyone. In this timely piece, Draper has given us four kids whose lives are spinning out of control. Realistically portrayed, this novel provides valuable insight into children who somehow fall between the cracks in our schools and how a championship match can make a difference to them all. 2002, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, $16.00. Ages 11 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2002 (Vol. 70, No. 11))
Delia is an intelligent, creative, eighth-grade student with a secret: she cannot read. No one has guessed because she memorizes material learned from discussion, watches videos instead of reading a book, and volunteers to do special projects like skits or posters instead of written reports. But she is faced with taking a major proficiency test that she knows she cannot pass. Her friend Randy also has a secret: he has not heard from his father for several weeks. A long-distance truck driver, who's often away from home, he has always kept in constant touch with Randy. But now Randy is running out of money and food, and he's afraid to tell anyone. Delia and Randy, along with several of their friends, are part of a Double Dutch team that will compete in a national tournament. The details and play-by-play of the Double Dutch practices and contests provide the core around which the rest of the story develops. Several other issues are addressed along the way, and are dealt with nicely by the cast of supporting characters. Delia's friend Yolanda tells fantastic, outlandish stories about herself and her life so earnestly that even her friends are sometimes unable to know when she is telling the truth. The Tolliver twins' threatening demeanor and attitude mask a fear of loss and separation that they manage to overcome heroically during a devastating tornado that hits their school. Even Delia and Randy's more serious problems have happy, though not perfect, conclusions. Perhaps there are too many subplots, too many characters with too many problems, even too many happy endings, but Draper makes it work. Delia and her friends are delightful, and the reader is rooting for them all the way. A fast-paced, multi-layered story. 2002, Atheneum, $16.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 15. © 2002 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, July 2002 (Vol. 36, No. 4))
Double Dutch, for those who don't know, is a way of jumping rope that demands a high degree of skill and energy. The friends in this YA novel are 8th graders who are on a team competing in the world championship for Double Dutch, which (unfortunately for them, since they want to travel) happens to be in their own hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Delia, Yolanda and Randy are the three main characters in the novel (Randy helps out managing the team). Delia worries that she will have to pass a standardized test before being allowed to participate in sports, and she has the ghastly secret that she is unable to read. (Obviously, she is smart about covering up this deficiency, yet in the end she has to reveal the truth.) Randy lives alone with his father, a truck driver, and takes care of himself when his father is on the road. Unfortunately, the father hasn't called or come home in weeks and Randy is afraid he has deserted him. Randy, like Delia, is hiding the truth. Yolanda, on the other hand, is known for telling whoppers, so no one actually believes her stories. She is imaginative, a good loyal friend, and a survivor--as we see when a tornado hits their middle school. Also, she frequently provides comic relief. The tornado, the competition, the fate of Randy's father, Delia's revelation that she cannot read--these are the elements of the fast-moving plot. It's good to have a story about urban YAs of color that is realistic without being too depressing. These young people have adults in their lives who care about them and they are all part of a supportive community. They are smart and strong and younger YAs will enjoy reading about their lives. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2002, Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 183p., $16.00.. Ages 12 to 15.

Fern Kory (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2002 (Vol. 56, No. 2))
No one has figured out that Delia can’t read and that Randy has been living alone since his father (a long-distance truck driver) took off, but these high-functioning eighth graders may not be able to maintain their false fronts much longer: Delia must take a mandatory state proficiency test and Randy has run out of money for necessities. Complicating their situation is the atmosphere of fear that pervades their Ohio school, especially after the school bullies (twins Tabu and Titan Tolliver) are hyped on a television talk show as “Teens Who Terrify.” Well-defined characters and dialogue that errs on the side of standard English (lightly spiced with slang) provide clear access to a plot that gains speed as coach’s aid Randy helps Delia and her teammates prepare for the national double-dutch championships. Things really shake down, however, when a pair of tornadoes tear apart the school, forcing several characters--including the Tollivers--to act in ways that reveal their true vulnerabilities. Once everyone’s secrets are out, the overlapping plots are wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly, but for the most part Draper uses her poetic license to weave a well-paced and engagingly detailed exploration of a double-sided world of public and private truths that teens will find very familiar. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2002, Atheneum, 183p, $16.00. Grades 5-9.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2002)
Delia, an eighth grader on a championship level double dutch team, has a terrible secret and so has her friend Randy. Delia is illiterate and about to be unmasked by a mandatory state test. Randy has been all alone for weeks, with no word from his absent father and little money left. This issue-laden novel features an appealing cast of sympathetic characters. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2002, Atheneum, 183pp, $16.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Marge Wood (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 15, No. 2))
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the truth and a lie..." That's what this book is about--the difference between the truth and a lie. Who is mean? Who can read? Who is afraid and living alone? Delia and her best friend, Yolanda, jump Double Dutch and even go to competitions of jumping rope. They and their friend, Randy, are always talking, always figuring. One thing they and the other students hate are the Terrible Tolivers, twin boys who intimidate everyone as they walk down the hall at school. But are the twins really bad? Even though Delia is always prepared, always helpful, is she really a good student? After a tornado levels their school, who comes out as heroes? What are the secrets in this novel? This would be a good addition to any children's library. Fiction. Grades 4 and up. 2002, Atheneum, 183p, $16.00. Ages 9 up.

Elaine J. O'Quinn (VOYA, August 2002 (Vol. 25, No. 3))
Although a jump-rope game serves as the plot catalyst for the experiences of the teens in this clever novel by an award-winning author, the secrets that unravel as those characters move toward a double Dutch world championship are sure to grab the reader. As eighth-grader Delia gets increasingly better at double Dutch, the fragile supports she has created around her inability to read start to crumble. When her team position appears threatened by her embarrassing secret, Delia recognizes she must act. The reader empathizes as this likeable girl decides what that action must be. Delia's secret is not the only one holding the novel's tensions in place. Randy, the jump rope team manager, also keeps things hidden. His truck-driving dad has been gone for weeks without contact. With no money left for living expenses, Randy must make a decision. Just when he thinks that it is safe to tell Delia, however, what she hides undermines his revelations, leaving Randy to decide if he can trust anyone. As Delia and Randy come to terms with their secrets, another menaces in the background. It is that of the seemingly violent Tolliver twins. Who are these boys, and why do they seem intent on scaring people? The answer surfaces only after a terrible twist of fate forces everyone to see something to which they have been blind. Like the triple strands of a rope, this story spirals to its tightly-woven end. Readers will find it suspenseful and accessible. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2002, Simon & Schuster, 192p, $16. Ages 11 to 14.