What Boys Really Want

Hautman, Pete     What Boys Really Want    

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts 2012   297p  $17.99      978-0-545-11315-1    VG-BN       hs    Realistic fiction/Conflict   

Lita fancies herself a writer, and she has an advice blog that she runs under the pseudonym of Ms. Fitz.  Adam, her best friend, decides to write a self-help book for girls called What Boys Want, and therein lies their conflict.  While Adam is getting all sorts of recognition for his forthcoming book -- which he is constantly bragging about and pre-selling copies of, to anyone who will listen -- her own romance novel lies, unfinished, at the bottom of a desk drawer, and she is loathe to let anyone know that she is Ms. Fitz.  Her resentment and jealousy toward Adam are palpable.  Various romantic entanglements ensue, involving both these characters and their friends, until the denouement, when Lita discovers that Adam has plagiarised most of his book from her blog.  There is a huge confrontation that leads to their reconciliation and deeper understanding of each other.

While it is certainly not great literature, this one will appeal to reluctant readers who like gossipy romance stories.  The students use language that students really use, with terms like "pissed off" and "ass" appearing on almost every page.  The moodiness and melodrama should keep pages turning for kids who like gossipy novels.      

VG-BN Carol Kennedy     Creative Writing, Friendship