While reading The Plain Janes earlier this year, I wondered if though I very much enjoyed the graphic novel, if the story and relationships wouldn't have been richer if it had been a regular old novel novel. With that in mind, I sought out other work by Castellucci.
Boy Proof is about a high school science fiction girl geek who needs to learn to open up a little and let people in.
Victoria, the protagonist, makes an interesting and realistic teenager. All the characters--actor mom, special effects maker dad, world traveler love interest, honor society, s-f/fantasy, comic book geeks--are interesting and realistic, as well. I still didn't feel Victoria's inner life and social interactions were as complex as I wanted them to be, but I may be asking too much of the YA genre, or not be bringing enough to the genre. A teen reader might well see levels I'm missing.
Sci-fi girl geek learns
to be herself, and how to
be a friend, but trig...