Gender Blender [Hardcover]

Blake Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Emma:
Wants Jeff Matthews to notice her.
Hates sexist boys.
Wonders when she’ll get her period.
Tom:
Must avoid looking like a wuss.
Must deal with his blended family.
Must get a chance with Kelly A.
Then something freaky happens: Emma and Tom switch bodies. And until they can find a remedy:
Emma:
Can’t believe she has a . . . thingie.
Hates mean girls.
Finds out secondhand that her period has arrived.
Tom:
Must learn to put on a bra.
Must deal with an overachieving family.
Must not be alone with Jeff Matthews.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-Tom and Emma played together when they were in fourth grade, but now that they are sixth graders, they don't get along. Both are unhappy when they are teamed up for a gender-differences project for their health class. Then, a collision on a trampoline results in a body switch. As Tom and Emma frantically try to impersonate one another, each gains insight into the other's life. Just as they decide they'll have to remain switched forever, another blow to the head switches them back. Their health teacher is impressed with their reports, and Emma and Tom make tentative steps toward friendship. Physical development and differences are the focus here. The terms perv, crotch, boner, thong, and masturbation all make an appearance, with repeated references to naked pictures, and breasts. Tom, in Emma's body, gets her first period, and Emma, in Tom's body, wakes up with an erection. There are some humorous situations-Emma thinks the erection is a small animal under the covers with her-but the epiphanies reached by the characters-Emma: Being a boy was lonely, and Tom: -¦people expect more of [girls]-are mundane. The text contains plenty of cultural references and slang that will quickly become outdated. Though middle schoolers might be intrigued by the story's frankness, most readers will be disappointed by the lack of substance.-Laurie Slagenwhite, Baldwin Public Library, Birmingham, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. Sell this goofball body-switching fantasy as Mary Rodgers' Freaky Friday (1972) with a gender-bending twist. Former pals Emma and Tom have grown apart, and neither sixth-grader can stand the thought of pairing up for their health teacher's consciousness-raising assignment about gender roles. It's a stalemate until a cursed arrowhead causes the two archenemies to swap bodies. Speaking in alternating chapters, the shell-shocked preteens hilariously navigate (and gain insights from) their differing hobbies, social situations, academic reputations, and, in scenes by turns frank and slapstick, their experiences of puberty; Emma initially thinks her morning "boner" is "a chipmunk or something" hiding under the sheets, and Tom has Emma's first period. The ending is a bit of a jumble, and it's too bad that one episode features Tom's remarks about the distasteful bodies, including one "fat butt" that he sees in the girls' locker room. But there's a lot to be said for a contemporary middle-grade comedy that both genders will find irresistible, and that will encourage a little deep thinking along with the laughs and gasps. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385746962
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746960
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,241,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Blake Nelson grew up in Portland, OR. He attended Wesleyan University and NYU.

He began his career writing short humor pieces for Details Magazine. His first novel GIRL, was serialized in SASSY Magazine and was made into a film starring Selma Blaire and Summer Phoenix.

Nelson has since published ten more novels, including ROCKSTAR SUPERSTAR and THE NEW RULES OF HIGH SCHOOL, PROM ANONYMOUS and GENDER BENDER.

His science fiction novel THEY CAME FROM BELOW was a Kliatt Editors Choice pick in 2008 and his 2006 novel PARANOID PARK was made into a film by Gus Van Sant which won the Cannes Special Anniversary Prize Award in 2006, as well as Italy's Grinzane Literary award.

His latest book DESTROY ALL CARS has been praised as "Smart and entertaining" by the New York Times, and was called "A wonderful novel" by the Los Angeles Times.

His novel RECOVERY ROAD was released in March of 2011. His newest novel, DREAM SCHOOL, the sequel to GIRL, is being released in December, 2011 from Figment.

Figment is a web site for teens and young adults to create, discover, and share new reading and writing. Whatever you're into, from sci-fi to sonnets, you can find it all at www.figment.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Freaky Friday - Remixed, November 19, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gender Blender (Hardcover)

This was a great book! Some of the things that they talk about isnt right for 6-9 year olds. But other than that it was great. It is like freaky friday except the people switch genders. It is very clear and well written so you cant get confused. Overall I really liked this book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A comical book for both boys and girls alike, May 31, 2006

By 

A Customer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gender Blender (Hardcover)

Who hasn't read or seen the movie version of the Mary Rodgers classic, FREAKY FRIDAY? I remember as a kid being totally freaked out --- as the author intended, by the thought of a body switch with (gulp!) my mother??! In Blake Nelson's GENDER BLENDER, the body switching fiasco is taken to the next level. What could be worse than switching bodies with your mother? How about switching bodies with your enemy?

Emma Baker and Tom Witherspoon weren't always enemies. They used to be friends when they were little kids. But now they're in sixth grade and everything's different. Emma hangs out with a group of girls who call themselves Grrlzillas. Tom only has guy friends who like to get into trouble and play sports. Emma and Tom are so different that now they can't stand each other. So when they get paired up in health class for a section on gender issues, neither of them is pleased. Their assignment is to spend at least 15 minutes everyday talking to each other and discussing how gender affects their lives. Not in their wildest dreams will they realize the crash course in gender issues that lies ahead.

It all happened because of the arrowhead that Tom found in the woods. He was carrying it around in his pocket when he decided to sneak into the gym after school and try out the trampoline. Emma, a gymnast, saw Tom there and wasn't happy about it. She was supposed to be practicing her routine. He wasn't supposed to be there! Emma and Tom both ended up on the trampoline at the same time fighting over who belonged, when all of a sudden, THOCK! Their heads smacked together and everything went black.

When they woke up, everything was different. VERY different. Tom was in Emma's body and Emma was in Tom's! What could be more challenging than trying to figure out how to switch back bodies? That's exactly the problem that Emma and Tom have to figure out. How can they undo this bizarre body switch --- fast?

GENDER BLENDER is told in the alternating points of views of Emma and Tom offering hilarious insights into the other's gender. And what couldn't be more appropriate than learning about their bodies (and their other bodies) in 6th grade? The story is fast-paced and hilarious. Both Emma and Tom's voices are endearing. They are quite nave about the other's gender at the beginning of the book, but by the end, this is far from true. Their insights and revelations about each other's worlds are hysterical and sometimes sad.

Author Blake Nelson proves in GENDER BLENDER that in addition to his talent for the finely-tuned YA novel, he can craft a funny, enjoyable middle-grade novel. GENDER BLENDER will be enjoyable for both boys and girls alike. (And adults who want a good laugh too!)

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny Book, April 7, 2006

By 

kid reader "Ben" (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gender Blender (Hardcover)

I heard about this book from a friend and read it in one sitting. It was pretty funny. I liked it a lot. This book is about a boy and girl in sixth grade who switch bodies and some of the stuff that happens to them.