The Weekend Bucket List

Gr 9 Up—It's the last weekend before high school graduation, and best friends and perennial "good kids," Cady and Cooper, have a bucket list of teenage rebellions, from getting tattoos to skinny-dipping. Underlying their weekend plan is the unspoken desire to figure out their feelings for each other, as Cooper, who previously identified as gay, explores his bisexuality. Along the way they run into Eli, a homeless teen who quits his job at a traveling carnival to join their adventure. An improbable chain of events leads to all three characters kissing one another one night and then dealing with the complicated emotional aftermath. Although Kerick poses interesting questions about teenage relationships, sexuality, and the importance of friendship, the characters are undeveloped and their motivations implausible. The chapters' narration alternates among the three characters, but their voices are indistinguishable and the constant back-and-forth makes for a slow and repetitive reading experience.