There is no doubt that Wersba tackles some sensitive issues: virginity, lust, first love, and a May-December romance. But her treatment of those issues is positive, providing a good springboard for discussion. In addition, the major characters in the book have strong values to help them deal with the issues they face.

Rita curses occasionally and lies to grownups about her eating habits and her whereabouts. Her invented stories about Skylar Cunningham have a whimsical aspect, perhaps excused by Rita's longing to be a writer. Her personal values allow her to follow her heart unequivocally but prevent her from taking sex lightly. She believes that sex and love should be the same thing. Nicole, on the other hand, takes a more casual view of sex, saying things like, "It is not a question of love, it is a question of lovemaking.

And they are different things...