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mrskatiefitz's review
2.0
Eighth grader Finley keeps a chart in the back of her science notebook, where she tracks boy behavior in terms of the life cycle of a frog. Boys who are utterly immature and whose voices haven't changed yet are Tadpoles, while Frogs are the most evolved - and most desirable - boys in school. When Zachary Mattison, a former student who left school after some personal problems in seventh grade, moves back to town, Finley has a hard time figuring out where he belongs on her chart. When the chart accidentally goes public, she has an even harder time dealing with the battle of the sexes that erupts.
Though there are appealing elements to this story - the former student returning to school with a new look, the implications of private information being shared, and Finley's mother's career as a mommy blogger - most of it falls flat. Using science to explain boys has been a recurring theme in middle grade novels over the past couple of years, and this book does nothing to expand upon what has already been done. The author tries to make Zachary a mysterious and intriguing character, but the suspense surrounding him never really pays off. In general, the characters are all fairly flat; not even Finley has much of a personality beyond her science chart and the fact that she isn't sure how to interact with boys.
Aladdin Mix books are very much hit or miss. While At Your Service, 30 Days of No Gossip, and Best Friends... Until Someone Better Comes Along were all hits this past year, The (Almost) Perfect Guide to Imperfect Boys is an unfortunate miss.
Though there are appealing elements to this story - the former student returning to school with a new look, the implications of private information being shared, and Finley's mother's career as a mommy blogger - most of it falls flat. Using science to explain boys has been a recurring theme in middle grade novels over the past couple of years, and this book does nothing to expand upon what has already been done. The author tries to make Zachary a mysterious and intriguing character, but the suspense surrounding him never really pays off. In general, the characters are all fairly flat; not even Finley has much of a personality beyond her science chart and the fact that she isn't sure how to interact with boys.
Aladdin Mix books are very much hit or miss. While At Your Service, 30 Days of No Gossip, and Best Friends... Until Someone Better Comes Along were all hits this past year, The (Almost) Perfect Guide to Imperfect Boys is an unfortunate miss.
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