Boys Lie [Hardcover]

John Neufield (Author), John Neufeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1999

Seeing is believing...and that's the trouble.

What can a girl do, being better endowed than any of her classmates? Gina knows that she'll be prey to boys who want her as a score. And in a New York City swimming pool, that's what she becomes. Fleeing from an assault and its aftermath, Gina and her mother move to California. But the story of her "rape" surfaces there, despite everything Gina does to keep it quite. She herself, in a flashback of terror, lets it escape publicly. Three boys in her new eighth-grade class--Ben, Eddie, and Felix--begin dreaming aloud of making it with the stacked, "experienced" girl who must be, in their view, looking for more. What starts as a crude, three-man plan ends up as a single boy's attack, which Gina repels. He boasts of success--boys lie--so confident is he that she, from shock or shame, will never tell anyone. But Gina realizes that unless she rises above her fears and tells the truth, her reputation will be in a boy's hands, not her own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this unsettling junior high drama, boys' lies become dangerous weapons. Even after moving to a different community, 13-year-old Gina cannot shake the horrible memory of being molested at a public pool. Her new classmates soon catch wind of the incident, and rumors that she was raped begin to circulate. Jennie, who proves to be a loyal friend, tries to stop the exaggerated gossip before it spreads too far. But wealthy eighth-grader Eddie Phipps has already marked Gina as an easy target ("She's dying for it. Again") and is plotting a way to make his sexual fantasies come true. After assaulting Gina in her home, Eddie gets a swift kick in the crotch, a pummeling by Gina's beau and further humiliation when Gina explains what happened in front of her homeroom class. However, the author seems more bent on dishing out just deserts to his despicable antagonist than exploring how Gina comes to terms with the two attacks. Neufeld (Gaps in Stone Walls) too conveniently pegs adolescent boys as puppets controlled by their hormones and their female peers as virtuous maidens banding together to ward off a common enemy. While the novel's intentAcondemning sexual assaultAis noble, its bald treatment of the subject fosters division rather than understanding between the sexes. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9-Gina is embarrassed by her body and hates that she's "stacked." She knows it wasn't her fault, but she keeps blaming herself for what happened last summer at the pool, when she was surrounded by a crowd of boys groping and yanking at her tank suit, pushing her under the water. The fear and shame still linger, even after therapy and a move across the country. While on the beach with a group of new friends, an innocent splashing incident triggers old fears, and Gina can't stop screaming. Her mom shares the pool incident with another mother, and somehow word gets around that Gina was raped. Eager for a first sexual experience, three eighth-grade boys convince themselves that "a girl like Gina really wants it," and they plan a gang bang at her house. Two of the three back out, so Eddie goes to Gina's house alone. Believing that he really likes her, Gina invites Eddie in, only to find herself once again fighting off the menacing hands of a boy. In the end, Eddie doesn't get what he wants, but he does get what he deserves, and Gina survives this second attack with a newfound strength. Neufeld has written a sensitive, realistic novel about an all-too-common rite of passage. Young teens will relate to Gina and probably recognize themselves or their schoolmates in the other characters. Short, quick-moving chapters, coupled with the subject matter, make this a sure winner.
Barbara Auerbach, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789426242
• ISBN-13: 978-0789426246
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,683,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boys Lie, February 13, 2003

By 

jessica reynolds (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys Lie (Hardcover)

If you are looking for the best book ever than this is the book to look into! This book is called "Boys Lie." This is such a good book because it sounds like a true story and it really does sound so real when you read it. The details in the book are so specific that it just makes it so interesting.At the end of the book you just wanted to keep reading even though there were no more pages to turn. The book "Boys Lie" is by John Neufeld. The book has to do with a girl about 14 years old who is being tortured and raped by these boys from school. This girl has to keep moving because of these boys doing this stuff to her. I really liked this book because it is so entertaining that you just dont want to tear your eyes away from it. Sometimes you want to cry and sometimes you want to laugh but whatever way you express your feelings,you will never forget this book. When i read this book I put myself into the girl's shoes and pictured that kind of stuff happening to me. So if you want to read the best book ever...than read "Boys Lie!!"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, April 11, 2001

By 

MoonRabit (NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boys Lie (Hardcover)

...I thought that this book was well writen. So many girls have to putup with this kind of treatment. I do not believe that this book wasment to be "educational" ...it is FICTION! Plus-not tomention that the author is a GUY! He did a great job writing this bookfrom a GIRLS point of view(even though the story was told through the3rd person method...),this guy(John Neufeld) knows his stuff...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Boys Lie (Hardcover)

This story had a good plot and a good idea for a story but it was poorly written. The ending was a disappointment and I wish that the author would have discussed the issues in the book more. If you do want to read this book don't buy it, instead check it out from a library.