Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman

I actually picked this book up to browse while drinking my coffee at my local bookstore. I figured I would read a chapter to kill time. I ended up sitting there for hours until I finally left because I kept laughing out loud and people were starting to glare at me. This book is very similar to the plot of “She’s the Man” but don’t necessarily let that deter you if you have seen it. The characters are well developed and easy to relate to. I think that any woman reading this will have no choice but to laugh out loud at some of the situations that Natalie “Nat” gets herself into.

Natalie is a journalist for her high school newspaper, not that anybody knows what her contribution is (except for her two best friends and her editors). Natalie is Dr. Aphrodite, the relationship guru behind the very popular advice column. When Dr. Aphrodite is accused of knowing nothing about what guys really think/want Natalie decides to do a little investigating into the minds of the teenage boy. After many failed attempts at getting straight answers out of her male classmates she has the brilliant idea to disguise herself as a guy and enrolls in the near by all-boy boarding school, Underwood Academy.

This is where the real hilarity ensues. Her and her two best friends contrive an alter identity for Natalie, “Nat.” This identity comes complete with a drastic haircut and a well-placed roll of socks. ;-) It turns out that being a guy is not as easy as it seems, especially when you are really a girl. Having to dodge her arch nemesis that will surely blow her cover isn’t helping either. Worst of all, when she is escorted to her new dorm room she is shocked to discover she has a roommate. And Emilio is probably the most gorgeous guy she has ever seen; too bad he thinks she’s a “he.”

I think you can imagine all the possibilities for catastrophe. From locker rooms, to wardrobe closets, and even a date with Emilio’s sister, Natalie has her hands full keeping up her cover and trying to get as much research done as possible. It turns out that she learns just as much about what girls are doing to repel guys as she does about what they are really thinking.

Like I said this book is not as original as some of the others I have read but it had me cracking up and sometimes that’s all you need. So if you are looking for something lite to read I recommend this book.