The Boy Project: Notes and Observations of Kara McAllister by Kami Kinard(mg)
253 p. Scholastic Inc. January, 2012. 978-0-545-34515-6. (Chosen to review for InfoLinkNJ).
After seventh-grader Kara McAllister is humiliated during a spin the bottle game when Chip chose to shake her hand rather than kiss her, she realizes that she’s the only girl in her grade who hasn’t had a boyfriend. She decides to study this problem scientifically and, as luck would have it, her teacher accepted her proposal as a science fair submission. She closely observes the boys around her in their native habitat, including the boys’ room, she surveys her classmates, forms hypotheses and graphs her results.
Breezy and often hilarious, Kara’s voice is fresh and both self-aware and self-deprecating. The dialogue and situations are mostly realistic. Fans of diary type books and clean romance will find much to enjoy in this debut.