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The Boy Problem–and an Autographed Giveaway!

carolbaldwin

In between drafts of my manuscript I’m working on character
development using worksheets provided by the faculty of KidLit Summer School—a
marvelous online class created by Kami Kinard and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen. The
first one that I tackled was by A.C. Gaughen where she challenged writers to consider
the rules governing their character’s voice and  point of
reference.


Since I recently read The Boy Problem
by Kami Kinard, I thought I’d use Gaughen’s worksheet to review Kami’s book, a
companion middle-grade novel to her first book, The Boy Project, which I reviewed exactly two years ago.

On the opening pages the reader meets breezy, funny Tabbi
Reddy who believes in signs and desperately wants a boyfriend. Even spilling a
pizza on the floor of the local pizza joint turns into a prediction about
landing a boyfriend. She tries to convince her best friend Kara, and Kara’s
boyfriend Chip, that the cheese on the floor is a lot more than a messy pile of
mozzarella.

“And this is his hairline,” I pointed to a jagged edge that
jutted out form the gooey forehead. “Don’t you think it looks exactly like a
guy?”

“I guess I can kind of see it,” said Kara.

“Kind of see it? I’ll tell you what I see: the image of my
future crush. Look at that handsome profile! He’s perfect for me!”

         …………

After the waitress cleans up the mess the girls return to their
booth and Tabbi concludes,

“This is the best day of my life!” I said. 

“You’re either overreacting,” said Kara, “or losing it.”

 “Am not! That pile of cheese was a sign—a sign from the
universe that the right guy is out there for me after all!” (p.7-8)

In this way Kinard sets up some rules about Tabbi’s voice
and her character:
1. She’s going to interpret events—perhaps even
misconstrue them—to fit what she wants to happen. (A savvy reader will
recognize that this tendency will probably get Tabbi into trouble.)
2. She is totally an 8th-grade girl with a BFF who she can risk being slightly crazy with. 
3. She is slightly over-the-top dramatic.
Tabbi’s point of reference is math. Sprinkled throughout the
book are equations, charts, lists, diagrams, and line drawings. For example, one of
Tabbi’s inner goals is expressed in an equation on the first page at the pizza shop:  “ 2 +1 = Third Wheel.”  She attempts to meet her external goal
(gaining a boyfriend) by methodically listing “Boys who have potential,”;
creating a love-predictor cootie catcher;  surveying how other girls caught their
boyfriends, and creating a game that will predict who her next boyfriend
will be.
At the same time Tabbi is trying to find a boyfriend, her Algebra teacher is also tackling
probability—with a more academic type  assignment. When Tabbi and
Priyanka–a cupcake lover and the last person in the world Tabbi wants to be
assigned to work with—are teamed up on a project that uses probability to
predict the future, not only does a cupcake war take over their school and they raise money for a truly good cause, but yes…Tabbi
finds her unexpected-yet-could-have-been predicted boyfriend. 
Although the book is full of Tabbi’s boy-craziness, I appreciate how Kami wraps the book up at the end. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so let’s just say, it’s a great “there-is-more-to-life than-finding-a-boyfriend” ending.
*******
For a cute book trailer full of images and equations, check this out:

And here’s the trailer which Kami made:

To win an autographed copy of this fun book for your
favorite middle grade girl, please leave me a comment by December
18. If you let me know which trailer you like better and your reason why, I’ll enter your name twice. Or, become a new follower of my blog and share this on your social media of
choice, and I’ll enter your name in the hat twice also!
Make sure you follow Kami and Sudipta’s blog to stay up to date for Kidlit Summer School 2015!

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Published by carolbaldwin

Carol enjoys teaching writing and has presented at many educators' and writing conferences. She has published widely in newspapers and magazines and along with Rebecca Wheeler, co-publishes Talking Story, a newsletter for educators and media specialists. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you’ll find her walking with friends, golfing, or gardening.

29 thoughts on “The Boy Problem–and an Autographed Giveaway!”

  1. Carol,I liked the first video better. The second one seemed too general. It didn't give enough specific details on how the problem might be solved. The art you posted reminded me of Charlie's Angels, a blast from the past. I'd love a copy of this book. I already have a copy of The Boy Project. A fun read. Thanks for entering my name in the drawing.

    Reply

  2. This book sounds so cute. I really want to read it. I keep saying I won't enter any more contests, then a book like this pops up, and I can't resist. Thanks for a chance to win. I like the first trailer better. The graphics are terrific.

    Reply

  5. OK, Carol…I'm leaving a comment…Thanks for posting about the book THE BOY PROBLEM. Maybe I will win the autographed copy for my middle school aged granddaughter. I think she would love the book. Merry Christmas to you!Gaildghurlburt@northstate.net

    Reply

  13. Other than for my 73-year-old middle grade self, I don't know many girls in that age range. Sounds like a funny book. Merry Christmas to all. Sarah

    Reply

  14. thanks for leaving me a comment, Sarah. Just picked a winner a few hours ago–but I would have loved to enter your name so your 73-old self could have won!

    Reply

  16. Carol,I liked the first video better. The second one seemed too general. It didn't give enough specific details on how the problem might be solved. The art you posted reminded me of Charlie's Angels, a blast from the past. I'd love a copy of this book. I already have a copy of The Boy Project. A fun read. Thanks for entering my name in the drawing.

    Reply

  17. This book sounds so cute. I really want to read it. I keep saying I won't enter any more contests, then a book like this pops up, and I can't resist. Thanks for a chance to win. I like the first trailer better. The graphics are terrific.

    Reply

  19. OK, Carol…I'm leaving a comment…Thanks for posting about the book THE BOY PROBLEM. Maybe I will win the autographed copy for my middle school aged granddaughter. I think she would love the book. Merry Christmas to you!Gaildghurlburt@northstate.net

    Reply

  27. Other than for my 73-year-old middle grade self, I don't know many girls in that age range. Sounds like a funny book. Merry Christmas to all. Sarah

    Reply

  28. thanks for leaving me a comment, Sarah. Just picked a winner a few hours ago–but I would have loved to enter your name so your 73-old self could have won!

    Reply

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