Babe in Boyland
Gr 9 Up-Girls dressing up as boys are a staple of Shakespeare and teen historical fiction. The device works in this likable modern comedy even though it sometimes strains readers' suspension of disbelief. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Rowan writes an advice column about relationships for her school paper. While "Dr. Aphrodite" is wildly popular, she's accused of only supporting the girls' points of view and telling them what they want to hear. When she learns about the Story of the Year Award for investigative reporting, she decides to go undercover as "Nat" at a local boys' academy for a week to discover how the other half thinks. She hits bottom socially but, after she's discovered cavorting with her two girl friends in a theater storage room, she's considered a "player." Meanwhile, she falls for her roommate, Emilio, a sensitive guy who opens up to her thinking she's a he. The plotline gets more absurd as Emilio sets Nat up with his sister. Natalie is unmasked by a theater rival whom she upstages while appearing as herself and pretending to be Nat's cousin. At first, Emilio is unforgiving but all's well that ends well. Natalie flubs up so much as a boy, it's hard to imagine that she doesn't get caught earlier. She endures plenty of guy nudity and grossness as well. The conclusions she draws in her article are thought-provoking but heavy-handed. Natalie and Emilio are well-rounded, appealing characters, and this book will challenge girls' perceptions about the opposite sex even as they enjoy a quick humorous read.-Tina Zubak, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.