The (Not Quite) Perfect Boyfriend

February 1, 2012

Gr 7-10-Cliques, dating, and the school social scene are the focus of this Australian import. Midge, 16, is embarrassed to be lagging behind her friend Tahni in the boyfriend department, so she invents one on the spot. Her imaginary guy is an Englishman named Ben and before she realizes what she's doing, she's created a whole backstory for him. By complete chance, a transfer student matching this description arrives at school. The real Ben agrees to play along, blackmailing Midge in exchange for homework help. Midge is lovably nerdy-each chapter opens with a dictionary definition, and she obsesses about proper grammar. Uber-geek George might seem to be a better match for her, but even she can't lower her standards enough to date a live-action role-player. Her parents' possible divorce amps up the stress before everything is pleasantly resolved. This is a surprisingly lighthearted, funny book, peppered with Australian slang. Teen drinking (legal in Australia) is handled as routine. Fans of Louise Rennison's "Confessions of Georgia Nicolson" series (HarperTeen) or Carolyn Mackler's The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (Candlewick, 2003) will find a lot to like in this frothy offering.-Madigan McGillicuddy, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library, GA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
Grades 8-11 Sixteen-year-old Midge is tired of not having a boyfriend to shore up her spelling-obsessed, nerdy self-image, especially since her best friend, Tahni, is always predicting she'll become a lonely old lady with eleven cats in a caravan. So she invents a boy, spinning summer-romance tales of perfect Ben, who, alas, had to return to England. Readers will recognize that the more Midge invests in her imaginary relationshipcreating a MySpace page for Ben and writing herself romantic e-mailsthe harder her fall will be, and that doesn't change when a new, hot English transfer student, coincidentally named Ben, appears and covers for her. Real Ben is hardly her perfect match, but Midge is so glad to have a boyfriend that she doesn't care, even though a more appropriate guy is near. Midge's hilarious flights of fancy and her book smarts go a long way toward making her social cluelessness and self-absorption bearable (she somehow misses serious issues with her best friend and her parents). This breezy Australian import is standard but very entertaining chick lit with a positive message.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)