Helpful Score: 1
I wish this book had existed when I was in middle school, because it would've easily been one of my favorites. GEEK MAGNET is cute and heartfelt enough to excuse its predictable plot and occasionally stilted writing.
KJ is an easily relatable protagonist, with her unwanted geek posse, familial worries, and subsequent growth into a bigger and better person. The thing is, she's not a bad person to start with, and neither is Tama a straight-up antagonist: Tama's lessons in "getting mean" have some merit to them, and the balance between right and wrong is well done in this story.
GEEK MAGNET also takes a step further beyond a simple story of high school friendship, love, and popularity with its frank portrayal of KJ's father's problems. Alcoholism is not a topic I've come across often in middle-grade literature, and again, I appreciated how Kieran Scott balanced this book's contents so that it wasn't pure froth or agonizingly serious.
More experienced readers will probably be forced to fault this novel for its blatant predictability and somewhat stilted dialogue. However, this is a good one for tween girls: it combines a strong protagonist, down-to-earth high school problems, and a cute romance for an appealing read.
KJ is an easily relatable protagonist, with her unwanted geek posse, familial worries, and subsequent growth into a bigger and better person. The thing is, she's not a bad person to start with, and neither is Tama a straight-up antagonist: Tama's lessons in "getting mean" have some merit to them, and the balance between right and wrong is well done in this story.
GEEK MAGNET also takes a step further beyond a simple story of high school friendship, love, and popularity with its frank portrayal of KJ's father's problems. Alcoholism is not a topic I've come across often in middle-grade literature, and again, I appreciated how Kieran Scott balanced this book's contents so that it wasn't pure froth or agonizingly serious.
More experienced readers will probably be forced to fault this novel for its blatant predictability and somewhat stilted dialogue. However, this is a good one for tween girls: it combines a strong protagonist, down-to-earth high school problems, and a cute romance for an appealing read.
