High school can be harsh, but Harewood Technical takes the hierarchy of popularity to a whole new level. No one knows who started it or how long it’s been going on, but sometimes girls at Harewood will get their pictures, with a D written beside them, posted on the mirrors of the student bathrooms. D for Defiled. No one talks to the Defiled. No one notices they exist.
Fourteen-year-old Sherman Mack has been at Harewood for three weeks. Sherm is only in grade nine, but he’s a ladies’ man with a thing for “older” women—girls his age aren’t ready for him or his smooth, carefully studied moves. He’s been working on asking out Dini Trioli, an artistic tenth grader. Before he gets his chance, Lester “the Molester” Broadhead, captain of the lacrosse team, scoops her up. That’s bad, but what’s worse is the fate of Lester’s last girlfriend, who was D-listed and forced out of the school in shame. Determined to save Dini’s reputation, Sherm will put everything on the line to stop the mysterious Defilers from claiming another victim.
Getting the Girl is a winning blend of the dead-on, deadpan wackiness of Susan Juby’s bestselling Alice series, combined with a solid mystery that explores one of the ugliest parts of high school: ritual shunning. Laugh-out-loud funny, but engaging and sympathetic, this is a book that will make boys and girls alike fans of Sherman Mack.