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Boy Proof Kindle Edition

by Cecil Castellucci (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 113 ratings

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A Time Magazine 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time Selection

"This novel's funny first-person narrative will grab teens (and not just sci-fi fans) with its romance and the screwball special effects."– Booklist

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?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–Victoria, 16, considers herself boy proof–too smart and tough to be appealing to guys. She has renamed herself Egg after her favorite character in a new science-fiction blockbuster, and even dresses like her idol, wearing an all-white cloak. A straight-A student, she dominates classroom discussions and considers no one her friend. The teen spends Tuesdays after school happily sculpting movie monsters with her work-obsessed father, a special-effects guru, and devotes the rest of her free time to squabbling with her actor mother and debating with and disdaining the Science Fiction and Fantasy Club. When Max Carter arrives at Melrose Prep, he is the first person to see past her aggressive exterior. Chaos follows this disruption; soon her grades are falling, she's called to meetings with the dean of students, and she starts to think about Max in exciting and disturbing ways. Some of the dialogue is a bit unbelievable. Victoria, in particular, strains credibility–she alternates between acting tough and being immature. It's hard to think of her as supersharp because of some of the silly things she says. The pacing is uneven as well; Max and Victoria's relationship blossoms with little development. Victoria's growth is the book's real strength. This is a busy first novel whose secondary characters often outshine the protagonist. Still, lonely, overachieving girls may find themselves cheering for Victoria.–Sarah Couri, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. With her shaved head, ring-covered ears, and a swirling cloak, brilliant Victoria insists her name is Egg, after the hero in her favorite sf movie, Terminal Earth, which she has seen 42 times. Who cares that she has no friends in her high-school senior class in Hollywood? She will never be normal. She is "post-apocalyptic." What she loves is working with her dad in movie special effects, tinkering with "eyeballs or aliens or ears." But when brilliant, gorgeous Max arrives, she cannot help loving him, especially because he is also in tune with the sf/fantasy world, and he shows her that she can be her own person, and fight real apocalyptic conservation issues right on earth. Of course, Max is too perfect, and the turnaround message is heavy. But this first novel's clipped, funny, first-person, present-tense narrative will grab teens (and not just sf fans) with its romance and the screwball special effects, and with the story of an outsider's struggle both to belong and to be true to herself. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Victoria — aka Egg — may be boy proof, but readers will find Cecil Castellucci's fully-inhabited narrator irresistible. A prayer for the wayward, Boy Proof is witty, tender-hearted and compulsively readable." — Ron Koertge, author of STONER & SPAZ — Ron Koertge

About the Author

Cecil Castellucci grew up in New York City. She is a writer, a filmmaker, an actress, and a singer-songwriter, and engages in many other creative pursuits. She is also an avid science fiction fan: as a testament to her devotion, she lived for six weeks on Hollywood Boulevard, waiting for the opening of STAR WARS: EPISODE ONE. "Sci-fi fandom is always given such a bad rap," she says. "I'm a card-carrying geek and proud of it." Currently, Cecil Castellucci lives in Los Angeles, in the "belly of the beast" known as Hollywood. This is her first book with Candlewick Press.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

I slide my eyes over to the girls who know how to stand nonchalantly in underwear, just chatting. The group includes Nelly and Inez. Nelly's leg is up on the bench between the lockers and she is rubbing glitter lotion onto her calves.

How did girls like that become so comfortable with their bodies? How did I miss out on that lesson?

I am uncomfortable in this body.

I cannot wear a cute tank top with confidence.

I listen like a fly on the wall. It doesn't matter to them that I'm there. Because I'm the Invisible Girl.

"Well, I think Max Carter is cute," Nelly says. "There's just something
about him."

"Yeah, but he's always got his nose in that little sketchbook. It's kind of creepy," Inez says while fixing the braids in her hair.

"It's not creepy. It's mysterious. He's totally driven," Nelly says. "He's really smart and cultured. He's so not a boy."

I suck my lips in and mock her to myself.

"Maybe you should ask him out," another girl says.

"Yeah, maybe I should. I love talking to him. He's so deep."

The lockers slam shut, and the voices echo down the hallway to the door to the gym until it's just me and the tick of the large caged clock.

I smart a little. A pinprick. I'm used to envy, but this pain is different.

Max Carter doesn't have deep conversations only with me.

__________________
BOY PROOF by Cecil Castellucci. Copyright (c) 2005 by Cecil Castellucci. Published by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004Z1SUO8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick Press; Reprint edition (May 10, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 10, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 733 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #878,302 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #59 in Teen & Young Adult Music Fiction eBooks
- #113 in Movie Industry
- #126 in Teen & Young Adult Loners & Outcasts Fiction eBooks

Customer Reviews:
3.9 113 ratings

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Cecil Castellucci
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Small Girl. Big Party. Author of the novels Stone in the Sky, Tin Star, Odd Duck, The Year of the Beasts, First Day on Earth, Rose Sees Red, Grandma's Gloves, Boy Proof, The Queen of Cool, Beige and The Plain Janes/Janes in Love. Former indie rocker known as Nerdy Girl and Cecil Seaskull. DIY filmmaker. enfant terrible. modern 21st century flapper.
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Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

113 global ratings

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Mette Ivie Harrison

A Book You Won't Stop Thinking About.

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2005

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I just finished Boy Proof. It was such fun to read and I have to say I was impressed at the ending. I found myself thinking a lot about someone I knew in high school at the beginning of the story, and then more and more about myself and about high school in general and how people try or refuse to try to fit in. I also liked that Victoria, too, needed to find herself. I liked that her parents were nice people, neither of them villains. It seems like that happens a lot in fiction these days. And Max's comment about finding it easy to make friends, but not necessarily keep them was very intriguing. He was such a great character! So alive that I can't forget about him even now that the book is closed.

7 people found this helpful

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Moira

While the reading level was a little low for an adult like my self

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2014

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This book was an incredibly fast read. While the reading level was a little low for an adult like my self, it would be very well suited for young teens. The story, which could have been predictable, provided a nice twist on a teenage romance. It chose to concentrate on Egg, the narrator, and her path to finding a version of herself she was happy with, and the positive effect it has on her life and the lives of her loved ones. The story line took paths I did not expect it to, and is a positive coming of age tale. While the reading level or storyline may have been a bit young for me, I do recommend it as a short YA novel.

One person found this helpful

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Elizabeth

Mixed Feelings

Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2013

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My Thoughts:
This was a very quick, easy read. I finished it in just a few hours. I definitely have mixed feelings about it.
The writing style and portrayal of the main character's thoughts and feelings seemed a bit disjointed or choppy or awkward. I'm not sure if this was intended or not.

I could definitely relate to some of Egg's conflicting feelings of wanting to be invisible vs wanting to be noticed. And about feeling boy proof (though unlike her, I don't intentionally try to make this happen) And I do enjoy characters who are quirky or eccentric; those characters who are off-the-beaten-path so to speak.
I wish there was a creature shop I could hang out at with my dad. AWESOME.

With that being said, Egg's arrogance became a major turn-off as did her rudeness towards others. After a while the references to Terminal Earth get a bit redundant. You do see a transition or growth in Egg's character from start to end which is important, and the interactions between Egg and the boy interest Max are enjoyable. I found Max in general to be quite enjoyable.

Favorite quotes:
"There is no easy way from the earth to the stars."

"I haunt the hallways like a broken spirit."

Bottom Line: Not great, not terrible. Worth reading for only $1.99. 3/5 "stars"

3 people found this helpful

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PG

Wonderful novel about life in self-exile

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2011

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Great story, seamlessly told. All the relationships were dead-on, especially the protagonist's relationship with her mother. The author pulled off the tricky feat of having the protagonist act in self-destructive and frustrating ways (out of insecurity, fear, shame etc.) and yet rather than get annoyed with her, the reader sympathizes with and hopes for her. It's a subtle technique and absolutely integral to the success of the narrative. An honest, moving, and memorable tale of adolescence.

2 people found this helpful

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Opinionated Reader

Page Turner and Great Character Development

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2015

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book a lot. Good character development throughout the book. Although the story was simple and a bit predictable, it was perfect for a YA reader. I enjoy books that allow me to peer into the psyche of an outsider and know what they might be thinking. I enjoyed being transported into this girl's world and see things from her perspective. I felt for her, and that's important to me in a novel. Great read!

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