Boys Will Be Boys (Girlfriends) by Jean Ure
| Boys Will Be Boys (Girlfriends) by Jean Ure | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: A gentle slice of tween chick-lit looking at a group of four friends and their boyfriend woes. It's frothy and pleasant, but slightly older fans of Jean Ure's work might want a little more bite in their books. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 128 | Date: August 2009 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| ISBN: 978-1408303023 | |
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Life is going well for Polly and her four friends: they've all got boyfriends, school isn't terrible, and they've got plans to go to Hastings for a great day out. They spend their time chatting and gossiping with one another, and they're very happy. Sure, Polly's brother is annoying, but that's what brothers are like. Then everything begins to unravel, with each of the gang of four having some sort of boyfriend trouble.
Boys Will Be Boys is a gentle slice of tween chick-lit - the characters are teens, but it's aimed at tweens. It's a soap opera looking at their relationships. It's realistic, but safe - there's nothing more unsuitable than people getting their comeuppance after having a bit too much alcohol. Whilst the characters aren't set up to be role models, you'd want them to be your mates. It all makes for a frothy and pleasant read that confident readers will romp through.
Jean Ure's books are popular here at Bookbag, but Boys Will Be Boys isn't quite up to the standard of her other work. It's part of a series for slightly younger readers, so it doesn't include the sort of issues as found in Gone Missing or Bad Alice. Although the different target audience means they shouldn't be compared directly, it has taken the edge of the work slightly. There's nothing particularly wrong with Boys Will Be Boys, but it doesn't excite as much as it could.
There are some nice messages in Boys Will Be Boys, particularly about how boyfriend woes aren't the end of the world. Things tie up a little too neatly at times, but maybe I'm just too old and cynical! Polly's family seem like a nice group of people, and although she and her friends think about boys, boys, boys most of the time, the tone remains appropriate for the young audience.
Young girls looking for pleasant stories about people like them and their friends won't go far wrong with Boys Will Be Boys and the other books in the Girlfriends series. They might want something a little more substantial though.
My thanks for the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
Lisa Clark's Lola Love books will strike a chord with fans of Boys Will Be Boys, as will Ooh, La, La, Connie Pickles by Sabine Durrant. Jean Ure's own Gone Missing is ideal if they want something with a little more bite. They should also check out Bookbag's Top Ten Teen Chick Lit Books.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Boys Will Be Boys (Girlfriends) by Jean Ure at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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