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schools in the city are smoking it’s because the kids who go to them aren’t joking. Wrap that up and send it to your brain.”
    â€œâ€™Nuff said, Zander man!” This from Bobbi.
    I looked at Mr. Lord and I could see he was thinking big-time but wasn’t coming up with anything.
    â€œThat was a very intelligent remark and I appreciate it,” Mr. Lord said. He had turned away from the Cruisers and Mrs. Maxwell and was talking to the reporter. “But I don’t think you children can understand the complexities of the fight for black education that I’ve been involved with over the years. I have been in the forefront of trying to get our people —”
    Bobbi started out the door and the rest of the Cruisers followed her. We knew we had smoked Mr. Lord and he knew it, too. When adults start calling you “children” and start hanging stuff like “complexity” on you, then it’s clear that they can’t think of anything better to say.
    The thing was that a lot of people, and especially Charles Lord, had been taking shots at Da Vinci. They wanted to point out how many kids in public schools were doing badly, but they had turned the whole deal around so that it looked like it was the fault of the schools that were doing well. I could dig where they were coming from but I also knew that the students at Da Vinci were expected to do more work than kids in most schools. And we were doing it. Case closed. Even the Cruisers, who weren’t all rah-rah about good grades, knew we had to represent.
    Bobbi had to go to Phys Ed and Kambui went to the media center to look up something, and so when LaShonda caught up with me and took my arm we were alone, except for three hundred other kids going through the hallway.
    â€œZander man, thanks for your support,” LaShonda said. “I really appreciate it.”
    â€œYou need me, just call me,” I said, rather heroically.
    â€œI’d marry you if you weren’t already hooked up with Caren,” LaShonda said, her smile spreading across her face.
    â€œHey, I’m not hooked up with Caren Culpepper!” I said.
    â€œOf course you’re not,” LaShonda said, all wide-eyed like she knew I didn’t believe what she was saying.
    â€œLaShonda —”
    â€œIt’s all platonic, right?” she asked.
    THE CRUISER
    MY READING LIST
    By Bobbi McCall
    1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
    2. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
    3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
    4. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
    5. After the Rain by Norma Fox Mazer
    6. Define “Normal” by Julie Anne Peters
    7. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
    8. Holes by Louis Sachar
    9. Platero and I by Juan Ramón Jiménez
    10. The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tungpo by Lin Yutang
    Uh-oh, too many books for the kids at Saltine Middle School? I’ll drop the last four.
    Uh-oh, too hard for the kids at Oreo Academy? I’ll drop Rebecca and A Wizard of Earthsea .
    Uh-oh, interferes with Silent TV, Wednesdays at the Vanilla Wafer School? I’ll drop Anne Frank and After the Rain .
    Uh-oh, they’ve run out of Cliff Notes for Define “Normal” ? I’ll drop it.
    That just leaves Speak , but now I guess we’ve achieved equal opportunity — at least in reading. And, oh, yes, we’re dropping all math that has an equation with an x or any other unknown.
    THE CRUISER
    MOUNTAINS
    By Zander Scott
    Some people climb mountains for the sheer joy of accepting a challenge. Mr. Lord thinks we should stop these people at once because others don’t see mountain climbing as a joyful experience. Or education, either.
    Some people climb mountains because their parents climbed them, and they think it’s normal to climb. Mr. Lord thinks we should definitely stop these people to get back at the parents.
    Some people climb mountains because the extra effort doesn’t bother