A Bird, a Bloke, and a Boyfriend

I thought this was a really off-beat and original twist on the Pygmalion story. In a reversal of the original, modern-day girl Sarah Little creates the perfect boyfriend out of clay. Clay Newman is charming, handsome, ripped... and kind of boring to have around. There are only so many compliments a girl can take. Fortunately, Sarah's old friend AJ is around for some human relief!

After spending time in America, Sarah returns home to Australia, but she has changed as puberty arrived. However, during the time she spent in the northern hemisphere, everyone has changed Down Under also especially as all her female friends have boyfriends. She picks her best male buddy A.J. to be hers, but he seems reluctant to make his pal "Little" his and besides he is seeing Clemmie. So Sarah makes a perfect boyfriend Clay Sarah expects a great relationship with her paragon Clay, who does everything right and makes her imperfect friend A.J. look pathetic; although deep down in her teenage heart she would like A.J. to be more than friends. However, Sarah soon finds how difficult it is to have a relationship with someone who is perfect; she is beginning to appreciate the flaws of kindhearted A.J. Will she give up her model of the ideal boyfriend for the flesh and blood A.J.? Interestingly, readers will come to the same conclusion that Sarah reached that Clay is so perfect he is boring though he is the paragon of a boyfriend at least in Sarah's mind in spite of her heart saying otherwise. The pleasant story line with a touch of the paranormal is fun for the younger teenage chick lit crowd who will appreciate Sarah's lament between blokes and boyfriends. Not intended for adults, thirteen to fifteen years old female readers will want to choose for Sarah between the clumsily nice with flaws and tediously nice perfect. Harriet Klausner

Sarah Little, also known as "Little," enjoyed her stay in the United States while it lasted, but now she's back Down Under, only to find that all of her old girlfriends are now tied down with boyfriends. Sarah wants a boyfriend too, so she picks her best buddy, A.J. Tobias, to be hers. Unfortunately, A.J. is already seeing Clemmie Jones, besides, he doesn't think that he's ready to refer to "Little" as his girlfriend. So, hungry for love, Sarah finds someone else to fill the place of "boyfriend," and that someone is Clay. Perfect, dependable, predictable Clay. He's everything that a girl wants, and he's hot to top it off. The only problem is that Clay is so perfect that he's just a tad...boring, and Sarah begins to realize that she really does want A.J., even if he is a little bit imperfect. After all, imperfect and spontaneous must be better than perfect and predictable... Sally Odgers has created yet another fabulous YA novel that surely cannot be missed. Her hilarious dialogue, and various "paranormal" touches mesh together to make one of the most hilarious YA books of the year. As in her previous novel, BOY DOWN UNDER, Odgers has invented a funny situation, and wonderful characters to act it all out, leaving the reader in utter stitches from beginning to end. A can't miss book! Erika Sorocco Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper