Boy Proof - Book Review

Boy Proof
by Cecil Castellucci

What is it about:
What happens when an antisocial cinephile meets up with the worldly new guy at school — a quick-witted artist who's savvy enough to see through her sci-fi disguise?

Meet Egg. Her real name is Victoria Jurgen, but she's renamed herself after the kick-ass heroine of her favorite sci-fi movie, Terminal Earth. Like her namesake, Egg dresses all in white, colors her eyebrows, and shaves her head. She always knows the right answers, she's always in control, and she's far too busy — taking photos for the school paper, meeting with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club, and hanging out at the creature shop with her dad, the special-effects makeup wizard — to be bothered with friends, much less members of the opposite sex. As far as Egg is concerned, she's boy proof, and she likes it that way.

But then Egg meets a boy named Max, a boy who's smart and funny and creative and cool...and happens to like Egg. Could this be the end of the world — at least as Egg knows it?

What did I think of it:
I picked this book up after reading Castellucci's Tin Star, because I was curious if her other books were just as good.

This book is even better in my opinion!

I devoured this book in one sitting. I just couldn't stop reading.

This is such a recognizable story. Egg is a bit of an outcast. She doesn't know how to fit in, and therefor has decided to close herself off from those around her. She's a bit of a know-it-all at times, but otherwise I could totally relate with her.

When Egg meets Max, she's so used to hiding inside the armor she built around herself that she doesn't know how to connect. All she knows how to do is push people away to keep from being hurt.

It was heartbreaking to see how Egg tries to find her place in the world, and tries to connect with the people around her. Being a nerd myself, and having dealt with lots of the same issues as Egg when in school, this story resonated with me, and I will confess there were a couple of scenes that made me cry.

All in all this is a beautiful story about being yourself, and figuring out where you belong. It reminded me at times of Tall, Thin and Blonde by Dyan Sheldon, a book that deals with the same kind of issues, and which I also love. I will most certainly reread this book, and I will check out more books by Castellucci as well.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful, touching Young Adult read.