The Boy of My Dreams [Hardcover]

Dyan Sheldon (Author), Doron Ben-Ami (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 1997 | Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Despite the serious misgivings of her oldest friend, Bone, who thinks that hormones have damaged her brain, Mike becomes convinced that Bill, a gorgeous college student, represents her romantic destiny."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8. This novel about a girl's obsession with finding and falling in love with the one and only perfect guy is predictable, cliched, and delightful. Sixteen-year old Mike (Michelle) Brindisi thinks college-boy Bill is the man of her dreams. She is so mesmerized by him that she is unaware of her mother's growing romance with John. Mike also ignores her old friends, Hope and Bone, the latter of whom she has made a pact with to marry if they are still single by the time they are 30. Even though her mother suggests that she write her term paper on a comparison of Romeo and Juliet (old-fashioned love at first sight) with When Harry Met Sally (best friends falling in love), Mike misses Bone's interest in her, and he moves on to Hope. When her preoccupation with her boyfriend causes her to neglect her pet tortoise and he nearly dies, Mike begins to see love and friendship more clearly. Sheldon steeps her story in the popular culture of music and movies in a witty way that young readers will enjoy. The title of each chapter is appropriately the title of a golden oldie: "Addicted to Love," "This Magic Moment," "Love Hurts." The ending, when Mike claims once again to have found the boy of her dreams, is sure to bring a smile. A lighthearted and quick read, with a meaningful message about love and friendship.?Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763600040
• ISBN-13: 978-0763600044
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,879,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected love story, March 29, 2000

By 

Beth Ashworth (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy of My Dreams (Hardcover)

Michelle is a young teenage girl living in small town America. She has two best friends. Hope is her newest best friend, a girl she can share all her feminine secrets with that she can't really share with her oldest best friend, Bone, because he's a boy. Her best friends call Michelle `Mike'. Most recently Mike keeps thinking about falling in love and meeting the boy of her dreams, whom she refers to as `Him'. It's exciting and natural to talk about all this to Hope but Bone "thinks her hormones are damaging her brain". Of course, Mike finally does meet `Him' and the book explores how this new and important event in a young girl's life can ultimately alter the already established relationships.

The book is a very easy and enjoyable read, but will probably only appeal to teenage girls. It is by no means a challenging book, but sometimes it is rewarding enough to read a book in an afternoon. This book is definitely a good candidate to curl up with on a bleak rainy afternoon with a box of chocolates. It has a lot of humour with a realistic attitude to it. It is not a tearjerker. Neither is it angst ridden.

The characters are well established and the numerous relationships explored on many levels, but not to their full potential. Although the book is written in the first person narrative, I wasn't convinced that the author successfully spoke with a young person's voice. Mike's use of language seemed older, but her reactions were more suited to the young teenage mould.

The cover of the book was not very appealing to me and seemed to have a more 80s feel to the design, rather than a modern 90s look. The drawing of the two boys made them look too similar, which lead me to believe the storyline was to go a certain way. If fact, I made quite a number of predictions about the story, which were all wrong and therefore I found the ending of the book somewhat frustrating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the boy of my dreams, May 12, 2005

By 

sammi "sammi" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Boy of My Dreams (Hardcover)

The boy of my dreams by Dyan Sheldon is a so-so kind of book.

This book is about a high school student named Michelle (but everyone calls Mike). Mike is caught up with love. It seems as though it's all she's focusing on.

This is not the best romance novel. If you're a 13 and older reader, I truly do not think this book would be appealing to you. It's more on the lines of a seventh grade book. It's a book that a girl who's head over heels trying to find the right guy would read.

The book is mainly about Mike searching for the right guy. She feels as though she might end up with out someone. She focuses all her attention trying to find this " Mr. Right" or "Him".

In conclusion, if you are older then 13, this is not the best romance novel that you should consider reading. Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion on the boy of my Dreams by Dyan Sheldon.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Love is Everything, November 30, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Boy of My Dreams (Hardcover)

Michelle Brindisi, better known as Mike, has two best friends. Hope, and Bobby, better known as Bone. Mike and Hope always are thinking about the perfect him. The guy that's right for you.. Falling in love. Bone thinks it's very stupid, and makes rude comments about it all the time. Mike runs into him at the store, she thinks she's in love. Then he's really rude because of her running into him. Mike then knows that that isnt him, that's not him at all!

Then accidently, by fate, she thinks she meets "the boy of her dreams" at a restarunt, but is it really him?? Could fate really of lead her to him??

This is a really good book, I had a lot of fun reading it. It's kind of a once-you-pick-it-up-you-can't-put-it-down book!