Babe in Boyland

Babe in Boyland

Author: Jody Gehrman

Publisher: Dial

Pages: 304

Read Time: I sat still for hours to read this!

Rating (1-5):5

Tag Words: Hearts, Flowers, Romance, Humor, Shakespeare, girl pretending to be a boy, theatre, boarding school, advice column, Aphrodite, falling in love, truths, sharing secrets, undercover missions

My Summary:

Natalie has been anonymously dishing out feminine-fantastic advice in her school for years when she realizes she knows less than nothing about the stranger sex, boys.

Natalie decides to go undercover as Nat and discover the seven truths about boys, but when she is roomed with her hot, all-male roommate, she might find out more than she bargained for in this humorous, insightful gender-bending tale.

My Review:

This was my very first Gehrman and I am going back for more- no, I take that back, I’m going back for them ALL! 

I sat still (Still? I can’t be still!) for a few hours one afternoon and read the book from cover to cover. I usually will clear out a good hundred pages, then put the book down, come back, read until it’s finished, but in the case of Babe In Boyland, I could not tear myself away! 

Readers of Meg Cabot are sure to enjoy the hilarious way Gehrman portrays teenage Natalie, who for all her shortcomings is nothing less than a mature, and interesting teen girl. If you enjoyed the modern interpretation of the famous Shakespearean play Twelfth Night, called She’s the Man, you are going to get a kick out of Babe. 

I completely enjoyed this book, and feel that it truly was insightful about both genders in the field of love, lust and sex. The plot was interesting, the pacing perfection and some bits still make me laugh a week later when I think about them. Hint: It has something to do with “flossing.”

Go pick up your copy! And ask Dr. Aphrodite a question HERE!

Notes on the Names: Natalie was a good choice, because it can be shortened to the boyish Nat, and I just want to look at a few more names that could have been possibilities:

Georgiana/ Georgina/ Georgia & George

Gabrielle & Gabriel/Gabe

Danielle & Daniel/Danny

Valerie & Valor

Samantha & Samuel/Sam

Josephine/Josephina/Jozepha & Joe/Joey/Joseph

and, of course, there are the purely androgynous names:

Alex, Carson, Cori, Corey, Devin, Devon, Jordan, Lane, Lee, Leigh, Morgan, Parker, Payton, Peyton, Quinn, Reagan, Reese, Rhys, Riley, Robin, Robin, Rory, Taylor

Thoughts on the Cover: I love the model, and the cute moustachio, but hate the editing. The use of light was forfeited for a sepia tone that is not well balanced throughout the skin. The green in the eyes is fabulous, but the editing on them overlooked the reflection of the photographer and the fact that the model looks as though she did not have a good nights sleep. Also- Shouldn’t her hair be short? 

Parental Book Review *spoilers*

Sexual Content: 

Moderate- No actual sex scenes, or heated kissing

The first boy Natalie interviews is only interested in a hook-up.

One of the boys at the prep school catches Nat and her two best friends together in a closet and thinks they were all hooking-up, which leads to a bump in popularity for Nat.

Erica, a girl, kisses Natalie, thinking she is a boy, Natalie is not pleased.

Living in a boys dormitory means seeing plenty of naked and half-naked boys.

Many references to ‘balls’ and a few mentions of ‘porn.’

Language: 

Heavy

S- 15 (not counting how many times it is used in other languages)

A- 18

B- 5

H- 4

Sl- 3

Violence: 

None.

Other Notables: 

Darcy’s on again, off again boyfriend is a stoner.

Nat stuffs socks down her pants. 

Emilio’s friend back home (we never meet him) is a drug dealer.

The drama teacher believes Nat is gay and discloses that he and Max are gay.

Natalie, Erica and Emilio swear in different languages (German and Spanish)