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Jake Wizner’s life improved significantly after he graduated from high school. These days he lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters and teaches eighth-grade English and history. Spanking Shakespeare is his first novel. To learn more about Jake, visit his Web site at www.jakewizner.com.

It’s High School Musical—rated R!

When the girl who’s foresworn men meets the boy who’s devoted himself to picking up women, there’s bound to be drama—perfect for a sixweek summer program devoted to the arts. Olivia’s summer goal: to write a musical that censures men with wandering eyes. Max’s summer goal: to hone his acting skills, along with his talent for attracting the ladies. Before camp is over, they’ll perform Olivia’s musical onstage and in real life—though the ending may turn out differently than either expects.

Jake Wizner’s story within a story takes the battle of the sexes to a whole new level in a bawdy, uproarious romp that’s laugh-out-loud fun.

Publishers Weekly

It's summertime and hormones are raging for the high school students at Yale University's camp for the arts. Olivia arrives with pentup anger over walking in on her dad cheating on her mom with a student, and is determined to write about it. Though Olivia has instituted a personal "boy boycott," when dashing Max develops an immediate crush on her, her skepticism fuels her writing. Her musical, a reworking of Much Ado About Nothing, mirrors Olivia and Max's own ups and downs and features many libidinous musical numbers ("Threesome, threesome, threesome/ How can I get me some?/ ... The things we will be doing/ Like the pornos I've been viewing"). The characters' actual dialogue is equally sex-drenched-the American Pie crowd will love it-though the relentless and explicit banter can be exhausting. With a skeevy reinterpretation of Pat the Bunny and a crudely funny song about Bella Swan likely to draw the ire of Twilighters, Wizner's (Spanking Shakespeare) sophomore novel may reach new heights-or, possibly, depths-of notoriety. Ages 14-up. (May)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.