From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up This book is earthy and crude, but intensely honest. A nameless girl at Midvale Academy suddenly and inexplicably finds herself inside the head of 15-year-old Gideon, a new student at the Connecticut prep school. Hearing his thoughts gives her a unique understanding of how the mind of an intelligent but hormone-ruled boy works. Gid's wealthy, handsome, and popular roommates, Cullen and Nicholas, attempt to help him adjust, pointing out the hottest girls. Recognizing that he is limited in his coolness factor, they pick a girl who's not the top of the heap and bet on whether Gideon will be able to have sex with her before Halloween. The lucky girl is Molly McGarry. It's a shame, Gideon thinks, because although she is cute and smart, she's not his first pick; he's set his sights on beautiful, oozing-with-sexuality Pilar Benitez-Jones, who has indicated that she'll take him on, any time, any place. But a bet's a bet, and Gideon is excited about fulfilling the terms since he's still a virgin. The conceit sometimes makes it difficult to tell who's actually thinking, Gid or the girl, but if readers can get past this issue, the story works on many levels. There's a tremendous amount of pot smoking, drinking, and sneaking out at night, making the story most appropriate for older teens. The humor, well-developed characters, and fast-moving plot make the book deserving of shelf space, and teens will enjoy figuring out the identity of the narrator, who is revealed at the end.
Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Gr. 9-12. "Everything you've ever wondered about what guys think (and feared about what they want), I'm going to tell you," says the anonymous narrator. And she does--every kind, gentle, anxious, sordid, crazy, vindictive, sexy thought that goes through 15-year-old Gideon Rayburn's head is channeled through the narrator's pen, a fellow student at Midvale, a Massachusetts prep school. We never learn her identity, only that she is one of the beautiful girls about whom Gid fantasizes. The mysterious voice is a clever device and part of the book's charm, but it's also part of its problem. It's easy to forget that Gid's brain is running through a female filter, so when that female viewpoint appears, usually in a funny comment at male expense, it can be jarring. Still, the book will be an easy sell. Gid is the kind of truly nice guy most girls
want guys to be: sensitive, funny, and a bit lusty. And average nice guys will relate to Gid's worries about popularity and girls. Lots of fun and food for thought.
Frances BradburnCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
