Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken
by Rosemary Graham
Review by Anne Helmig

Writers often say that second novels are the hardest, but that didn't stop Rosemary Graham from succeeding delightfully with her second novel, Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude. Graham, who is also a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Saint Mary's College of California, spent three years writing Skater Dude, and her understanding of Young Adult (YA) characters is evident. By allowing her narrator to use phrases like "squick me out" and "Don't go all anorexic," Graham speeds us into the YA viewpoint and throughout the novel, the voice of the heartfelt, yet spunky, Kelsey Wilcox rings true.

Readers of Graham's first novel, My Not-So-Happy Time at the Hippie Hotel may recognize Kelsey as the confident Californian who impressed fellow Hippie Hotel habitant, Tracy Forrester. But unlike Tracy, the overweight and insecure narrator of Graham's first novel, twelve-year old Kelsey is pretty and privileged. According to her mother, Kelsey has always made friends easily, "maybe a little too easily," and it is only after the divorced Mrs. Wilcox moves Kelsey and her younger brother from Boston to Berkeley that Kelsey's story begins.

"The gene pool was nice to me," Kelsey says. Yet as pretty as she is, Kelsey is unable to make friends at the posh, all-girl's school in California where she attends eighth grade. The experience unnerves Kelsey, and to avoid repeating it, she convinces her parents to let her attend the larger East Bay High (EBH). Mom and Dad agree, and the school's multicultural backdrop provides the perfect setting for Graham to explore social issues. First, Kelsey's "Punky Retro Goth Vegan" friend, Amy, reminds Kelsey that not everyone has a clothing allowance, and later, Kelsey interviews some teenagers living on the street.

Yet before Kelsey has a chance to explore all that EBH's offers, she begins dating C.J. Logan, a well-liked (and hot!) skater-dude. The relationship solves Kelsey's popularity problems, but after a year of being "C.J. Logan's Girlfriend," she becomes disillusioned. Despite her celebrity status and the couple's spot-on "chemistry," she breaks up with the skater. Graham does an excellent job of exploring Kelsey's mixed feelings about her sexuality, particularly after C.J. uses his blog (cjloganland.com) to accuse her of stalking him and of being a Total Sex Fiend.

"So I guess it really was true, in a way, that I couldn't 'get enough.' My body wanted more than my head was ready for, and I never pretended otherwise," Kelsey says.

Although Skater Dude deals candidly with issues such as divorce and teen sex, the novel is appropriate for twelve to sixteen year-old readers. Young women, in particular, will find it easy to identify with Kelsey, and the novel deals sensitively with the topics facing today's YAs.

There is also any easy-going style to Graham's writing that makes reading her novels enjoyable. Chapter titles such as "I'll Take Skateboarding for Five Hundred, Alex" and "Dude, U Kick So Much Ass" highlight Graham's sense of humor, while comments from C.J.'s online fan club bring a touch of cyberspace to Graham's spot-on prose.

The novel also teaches young women the value of friendship, and some of the most emotionally-engaging moments occur when Kelsey sacrifices her alliance with Amy to spend time with C.J.

"I knew you weren't going to dance with me all night once Mr. Skateboard God showed up. But I thought that maybe you would have had enough sense, and consideration, by the way, to come back in time for our ride," Amy says.

The moment stings, but it is only after Kelsey is hurt by C.J.'s accusations that she begins to grow as a person. Her efforts to succeed at her high-school newspaper, The Bee, teach her to stand up for herself and to value her accomplishments. So when she finally confronts C.J., she says "....I felt good. Better, even, than I'd felt the whole year before, when I had that girlfriend-of-a-celebrity glow."

Young Adults will also get a glow reading Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I have Broken. Like the criteria for publishing in The Bee, Graham's work is "Fresh, original, and relevant," and as to future Graham novels, the phrase "You Go Girl," certainly applies.