Inspired by her Aunt Marian, a chemical engineering student, Emma decides to prove for the fifth-grade science fair that girls are actually better than boys. She thinks she has plenty of ammunition to prove her case, too--beginning with the boy who spit gum in her hair. Also involved are Wally, (the only salvageable boy), who chooses to do his science project with Roger instead of with her; and Emma's best friend, Louise, a creative rather than a good-grades type, who's besotted with Roger. The gender contest escalates through tests of politeness, paper airplane making, and Emma's calls to Aunt Marian. The end result is both creative and satisfying, with science fair results and Louise's odd invention (a cool change on the better mousetrap theory) bringing the warring camps together. Very lightweight but with lively language and some funny repartee. (Reviewed January 1 & 15, 2000)

Emma hopes her science fair project will prove who are better, boys or girls; but when she and her partners (best friend Louise and, eventually, two male classmates) try to carry out experiments, they realize the issues are muddier than they thought. Cartoon drawings illustrate this light, funny skirmish of the sexes, which will leave readers reflecting on what it means to think and act scientifically.