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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, fun, fun!, December 1, 2006
E. Lockhart's "The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them)" is fun, fun, fun.
Ruby Oliver starts her junior year in disgrace. Once one of a foursome of girls, kissing the boyfriend of the alpha member of the group cost her her friends. It doesn't matter that the boyfriend was formerly Ruby's own boyfriend--the girls had a code and wrote it down in their "Boy Book," a collection of lists and instructions on how to deal with the male species.
Ruby's also seeing a shrink, after experiencing a series of panic attacks following her very public fall from grace. Ruby's delightfully hippie parents suspect she may be a lesbian. And, Ruby is still pining after the boy (Jackson) who caused the angst in the first place.
Lockhart has really captured the voice of your intelligent, insecure sixteen year old. Ruby is fabulous narrator, fond of lists and a footnote or two. She talks too much, is a bit of a busybody, and doesn't, frankly, understand her own motivations. At least at the beginning of the book. By the end, however, and with the help of Dr. Z, new friends, old friends, and, yes, even her parents, Ruby has grown up enough to give the "Boy Book" away:
"Nancy Drews
That is, things I am good at*
1. The backstroke. Not great, but decent and getting better.
2. Talking. I'm like my mom that way.
3. Making lists. I really could medal in this one.
4. Movies. Remembering trivia and being able to say semi-intelligent stuff about cinema when called upon to do so.
5. Getting animals to like me. And not being afraid of them.
...
----------------------------------
* A homework assignment from Doctor Z, which she shrinkily calls a list of affirmations, but which I prefer to term Nancy Drews, because Nancy Drew, girl detective, was good at everything, even horseback riding and water ballet, though there was no evidence she had ever practiced or even heard of either one until she miraculously turned out to be expert at them."
Hah! That's just what I thought of Nancy Drew.
Ruby Oliver finds some of herself over the course of "The Boy Book" and more. She learns how to be a better friend, that there's always two sides to the story, and that being yourself isn't such a bad thing.
"The Boy Book" is highly recommended for teens ages 14 and up. It's funny, sweet, and so very true.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ruby Oliver is Back!, November 19, 2006
know I love a book when, an hour after I've finished reading it...and when I should be fast asleep in bed...I'm thinking of ways the character could possibly get together with that guy. "What if..." I keep saying. Then I have to remind myself, "Hey, it's a fictional character, for heaven's sake! Get some sleep!"
Yeah, I just love Ruby Oliver. E. Lockhart's heroine reads like a real person, with all the crazy, mixed-up feelings that a normal teen has. Even though Ruby herself doesn't think she's all that normal, I think she is.
Hmmmm, or maybe that says something about me.
At any rate, Ruby is back and this is her junior year after the fiasco of her sophomore year when she lost all her friends, her boyfriend, and her reputation. She's ready for her life to settle down. She's ready for that big red "Don't Panic" button to show up.
Of course, she's still beset with boy issues. There's Noel, who she can't quite decide if she likes "that" way or not (and his mixed signals aren't helping). Then there's Angelo, someone she's known for years...and has just started "scamming" with (i.e. making out with while not officially going out). And the infamous Jackson, her former boyfriend, who's mysteriously sending her notes again while her former best-friend Kim (his current girlfriend) is away in Tokyo.
As she slowly makes up with Nora (one of the lost friends), further cements her new friendship with Meghan, and develops a confusing quasi-relationship/friendship with Noel, Ruby starts to get comfortable. When things seem to be conspiring against her and she feels like she might lose all that she's gained back, what will she do? Is it time to cut and run or take a stand?
Yes, she's neurotic. But, oh, that's why I like her so much. I recommend reading the first Ruby Oliver book before this one (The Boyfriend List), though you can enjoy this one without it. You'll just enjoy it more if you have all the background info. Recommended for readers aged 12 and up, though some parents might prefer 14 and up due to a bit of "boob" action (Sorry, that's just what it is. What else could you call it?).
--Kimberly Pauley, [...]
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, September 26, 2006
In this sequel to The Boyfriend List (Readers Circle), we get to catch up on the life of Ruby Oliver, who last year had quite a time living down the infamous xeroxed list that made its way through her high school. Now in possession of a driver's license, a mission known as the [...]Rescue Squad, a former best friend who is spending a semester in Tokyo, a shrink named Doctor Z who still befuddles her, and a job at the Woodland Park Zoo, Ruby feels like her life just might be getting back on track. Maybe. Possibly. Sort of.
She's once again working on The Boy Book, a work-in-progress guide to life and boys that she started long ago with Kim (the once best friend), Cricket (another former friend), and Nora (still a kind of friend). Filled with such facts as "The Care and Ownership of [....]," "Levels of Boyfriends," and "Why You Want the Guy You Can't Have," The Boy Book was once a joint effort. Now, it's simply something that Ruby feels the need to add to as her life gets--if it's even possible--more complicated.
As she becomes better friends with Noel, she wonders if she's got a crush on him. Or, in fact, does Noel have a crush on her? And what about Angelo, who is quite a good scammer, but also happens to be the son of her mother's best friend? Even more importantly, what should she do about Jackson, who was once her boyfriend but is now in love with Kim? Ever since she saw him hugging on another girl at the zoo, Ruby has been plagued with indecision about whether or not to tell Kim. After all, Kim was once her best friend, and she deserves to know what her boyfriend is doing while she's studying away in Japan. On the other hand, they're no longer friends, and Ruby knows that there's a part of her who only wants to hurt Kim the way she was hurt in the past.
As Ruby deals with the continuing trials and tribulations of high school, crushes, and panic attacks, she comes to the realization that she just might really be better off without Jackson. And although she misses Kim, she now has new friends who round out her life and keep it interesting. The Boy Book has served its purpose, and Ruby knows now that nothing in life is constant. Knowing and understanding that is, after all, what makes girls smarter than boys.
THE BOY BOOK is the perfect follow up to The Boyfriend List (Readers Circle), and I'm sad to see the end of Ruby Oliver. Unless Ms. Lockhart plans to let us in on The Girl Book, which would be a major treat.
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