Customer Reviews

Gender Blender

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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

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.

I was browsing for movies in Netflix, and I came across a German film called "Hilife", released 3 years before the hardcover edition of this book, with the same plot, and a female main character named Emma. Coincidence? Hmmmm.....

GENDER BLENDER is a fun but thought-provoking novel about gender differences for middle-schoolers.

Since they started middle school, Emma and Tom haven't been able to get along and be friends the way they used to be.

Emma hates boys--except Jeff, the cutest sixth-grade boy in school. She can only hope that he'll notice her! She gets straight-A's and is involved in a ton of after-school activities. She's worried about getting her first period, among other things. She's pretty much a typical overachieving sixth-grader.

Tom isn't what anyone would call a good student. He spends most of his time fooling around with his friends and playing baseball. He's got stuff to be stressed about, too, though. For one thing, he wants beautiful Kelly to notice him!

When their health teacher gives them an assignment on gender differences, Emma and Tom suddenly have an advantage over the rest of the class--though they don't see it that way. While jumping on a trampoline, they knock heads, and, suddenly, they've switched bodies! Can they learn to understand each other and get along in time to switch back?

GENDER BLENDER, while it is quite entertaining, deals with an important issue. Gender differences are certainly something to think about; Emma and Tom's health teacher is right--boys and girls don't really understand each other, especially in middle school (not to say that it gets completely better later, though...). Blake Nelson's novel deals with this issue in a fun, if slightly ridiculous, way, using likeable characters, as well. This is a great book for preteens of either gender!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

I had always thought about what would happen if a girl and a boy switched bodies and this book made it hilariously clear. In many of the chapters I found myself laughing out loud. The only thing I have to say that isn't entirely good is this: I think the book should have been geared more towards teens than older kids because there are some things that could be deemed a little inappropriate for kids in elementary school. But it would be perfect for kids in middle school and even help the readers learn more about the opposite sex.

Gender Blender was a great book about the similarities and differences about boys and girls. It has a great storyline and a very good message. But, boys and girls do have differences!

These physical. differences are mentioned frequently throughout the book, and parents, please read this book and approve it before letting your preteen read it. There are things in it that some parents might find inappropriate.

Other than that, Gender Blender is a very funny book and highly reccomended!

This book is a simple way to portray the differences between male and female stereotypes in our society. In general, it does an ok job at that, but it can sometimes come off as abrasive when the girls insult the boys and the boys insult the girls.
Also, the book gets the terms "gender" and "sex" VERY confused. Gender is what you are on the inside (born a boy, feel like a girl inside) and sex is what you are physically.
This book was a cute, quick read for younger kids who aren't very bright-- it's message was pretty obvious and the style wasn't great.
Love the psychedelic desgins tho!