We shouldn't be surprised that the author of Smack would write about another "teen taboo" subject. But the aptly titled Doing It is something special. The winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize explores youthful sexuality through the banter, boasts, and exploits of three British male best friends. Each of the boys is caught in the prongs of a dilemma: Handsome Dino is drawn to Jackie, but this pristine beauty spurns his calls for sex. Kindhearted Jonathon is beginning a romance with Deborah, but he worries that pudginess will make him the butt of jokes at school. Ben's problem is more secret: Caught between pleasure and panic, he is trapped in a clandestine affair with his very alluring, 20-something drama teacher. Explicit; irreverent; insightful.