Boyproof? But is it plot proof?

I really enjoyed Cecil Castellucci's Boyproof, but I have to admit it wasn't the story (primarily about the internal conflict of a 16-year-old who "struggles" through her senior year in high school) but it was author Cecil Castellucci's skillfully-created characters that kept me from putting the book down halfway through.

Also, just as important (and in my experience, even more rare) Castellucci created just enough characters to populate and tell the story, with no "extras" added because the author needed them to make a point or introduce an idea/conflict.

I had Boyproof on my to-read list for two reasons

1. I wanted to compare the author's style in a novel vs. her first graphic novel, The Plain Janes
, and
2. Castellucci's writing has been used as an example of how to say a lot about a character in just a few words.

The story takes place in a pretty well-heeled Hollywood (CA) suburb, where the kids can choose to protest genetically-engineered food or try out to be an extra in an upcoming movie or TV show. It's a little bit trite, but then again, isn't that the definition of teen angst? Perhaps. (However you feel about that, the fact is the book resonates with a lot of teens.)

Victoria is "boyproof," according to her actress-mother, because she eschews all feminine clothing/makeup/hairstyles and instead prefers to dress like (the made-up-for-this-book) sci/fi movie character, Egg. What's more, Victoria insists friends call her "Egg."

Max Carter moves in and breaks Egg's shell (ha, ha) because he's as smart as she is, giving her some competition for the Valedictorian race, and because he's cute, too - making her think maybe "boyproof" isn't what she really wants to be.

As a mom, I'd be OK with my tween reading the book because it treats the confusion that comes about during adolescence seriously, but not too seriously. Also, the romantic interludes are just kisses (with some musings about groping) - there are no sex scenes.

I'd be interested to hear from readers on both sides of sci/fi fandom as to how the sci/fi elements worked in this book. While it certainly helps to have an understanding of sci/fi techniques (in books and on film), Boyproof is firmly rooted in reality - that is, a safe, suburban Hollywood, teenage version of reality.

(((a longer version of this review appears on the Epinions website, here)))

Where credit is due

It just occurred to me that you may have read reviews somewhere else that sound a lot like the reviews posted here. Ahem. It's time for me to admit that sometimes I borrow whole paragraphs from reviews that I post at Epinions.com.

So yeah, some of this stuff has been published before... and I wrote it all. (In spite of some really ugly exceptions that make the news from time to time, plagiarism is something journalists don't take lightly, folks.)

One of the reasons I started blogging here, and posting reviews there (Epinions) was to create a sort of catalog of the books (and articles, and other stuff) that I read. So, while I'm still sorting out my place in cyberspace, I am not "borrowing" the opinions, words, or reviews of any other writers.

Better Than Most Political Bios

Write It When I'm Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford is not chock-full of remarkable remarks by the 38th president of the United States, but it is a fitting tribute to the man, who I believe was one of the country's truly great statesmen.

Unfortunately, the writing was sloppier than I'd expected from Thomas DeFrank, a Newsweek and Daily News reporter. With the author's considerable experience and credentials, I was stunned to find redundancies and out-of-sequence segments in almost every chapter, pluse a few just plain grammatical gaffes. Why it was allowed to surf through copyediting at publisher (Putnam) may be because they wanted to hurry to market, but still... the oversights were disappointing. (On page 12 readers can marvel at the gem, "Usually, we never knew which.")

Grumblings aside, the book is worth reading for those who like a little - but not too much - political perspective.

I knew how the story would end, of course - Ford died in 2007 - but I found myself surprisingly sad as I read the final chapters. Grumblings aside, I believe this redeems DeFrank's writing. I'm pretty sure (that is, I sure hope!) DeFrank could've written a better quality book, overall, I'm glad he wrote this one.

Certainly, what readers take away regarding Mr. Ford is subject to individual interpretation. Personally, I gained a greater appreciation for the man who seems to have lived every day, and served many decades, according to an (unfortunately) uncommon set of principals - and I think that's worth slogging through a few sloppy paragraphs.

Read that Rx

I've been sick lately and of course, I read the (rather lengthy) material that came with my prescriptions. I had to call the pharmacy, anyway, because while it was clear I was to take a series of six pills, then five, then four (you get the idea) each day until there were no more, it was not clear if I was to take the lot at once, or spaced throughout the day.

I got my answer but the experience made me, even in a weakened state, rise up on my soapbox. (Yes, there are several soapboxes. In this case, it was the be-careful-what-you-write soapbox.)

Speaking about prescriptions, I was really taken by an AP article that ran in my local paper today: Thou shalt see a doctor. Reportedly, last month the Rev. Keith Troy made every man in church stand up and agree to go to the doctor in the next three months. Rev. Troy had had a rough week, having seen four of his parishioners die. And he knows many more will follow soon if they don't start taking care of themselves. According to CDC statistics, Black and Hispanic men are the least likely to see a doctor regularly, and not because their health is especially good.

Rev. Troy had the good judgment to make the men in his congregation not only stand up publicly - he also had them write down their name and phone number so the church could follow up with them, and help get them to an appointment if necessary.

Amen to that - and praise be the power of words.

Here's to your (and their) health!

Confessions of a Bag Lady

I love reading - books, magazines, newsletters, press releases, you name it, I read almost everything (except recipes). I guess I'm an optimist, as I typically check out more books than I can read and order more magazines and newspapers than I can digest. So, I'm trying like the dickens to read all my old periodicals before the new year and new reading resolutions take hold. That's right, I'm a bag lady.

I tote magazines, books, newspaper clippings, and other stuff in a canvas bag anywhere I think I might have a chance to read. This week, the dentist's office.

There I really got into a Newsweek article (from OCTOBER! How embarrassing!) about how killing germs may be killing us, and another about campaign reform. I also enjoyed one from the Columbus Dispatch about a restoration of an old airplane recently underway in Urbana.

Maybe you're catching up, too? Let me know...

Meanwhile, no books for me until I'm done with about five pounds of magazines including Scientific American, National Geographic, Design News, Discover... and a New Year's resolution to read them rather than pile them up. (Who knows? Someday I may be looking for a new use for my magazine racks!)

Graphic Novels - Good & Bad

I just read The Plain Janes and loved it! But I finished it in 40 minutes! I hate it when that happens.

Which is the good and bad in this revelation, folks. I learned that a good writer (Cecil Castelluci) and a good illustrator (Jim Rugg) can turn out a very good story, even if it looks like a comic book. (Admission: this bookworm never liked comic books. A character flaw, I've been told.) It's just over too quickly!

I've just begun Castelluci's other 2005 release, Boy Proof, and so far, I'm less enamored. I'm only on page 25 and already I've tallied at least a dozen bad words, including several F-words. Realistic dialog, maybe. But still... not a plus in my book. More later. I also already know I'll forgive Castellucci - the story is off to a pretty good start.

Rules of the Road Driven by Characters

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer features well-developed characters driving a fairly predictable story about growing up. The story isn't developed enough for me to consider it a coming-of-age story, exactly, but I think it's worth recommending to the 12-15 or 16 y.o. set.

Bauer's language keeps the story moving, and the pace of things ramps up very nicely when it should - during action-sequences and other tense moments.

Not wanting to offer a major spoiler, here's the story in a nutshell: Sixteen-year-old Jenna Boller, in a self-diagnosed "slump," feels like her job (selling shoes at Gladstone's) is the only area of her life where she succeeds. When her alcoholic father returns to annoy her, and the about-to-retire Mrs. Gladstone asks Jenna to drive her to Texas for the annual shareholders' meeting, fate hands Jenna the keys to her future. From Chicago to Texas, Jenna learns she can handle the road, a few demons from her own past, and the challenge of the future. A new hairstyle in the process helps.

I don't mean to trivialize the book (or the power or the right hairstyle) but folks, this is a book for girls.

As an aspiring fiction writer, I'm keeping the book on my shelf because I think Bauer provides a good example of getting the pacing right. I'm also hoping my daughter will pick it up off the shelf. While the plot line seemed rather obvious to me and there are too many cliches for my liking, the fact is, that's OK in YA fiction. We grownups who read kid lit have to remember that when it seems obvious or cliched to us it may not be to our kids, who haven't read quite as much or for as long as we have.

Related links:
This Fun Trivia quiz about Rules of the Road was created for kids, but I enjoyed it (and you might too) as a way to test my tired old brain. (I did OK. How 'bout you?) And homeschoolers or teachers may appreciate this http://www.joanbauer.com/rulesguide/index.htm teaching guide, designed for 8th-9th graders.