The Boy Trap

The comic premise of this breezy first novel about an elementary battle of the sexes is undermined, ironically, by its gender stereotypes. Aspiring fifth-grade scientist Emma, furious with boys, decides to prove that girls are superior to boys in her school science fair project. Although Emma thinks of her best friend Louise as more of a jock than a scientist, she enlists Louise's help. The competition escalates when their respective crushes, Wally and Robert, set out to document the opposite hypothesis. What starts out as humorous, however, devolves into a series of biased and superficial experiments, and readers may find it increasingly implausible that the entire student body and faculty jump on the bandwagon. More convincing is Emma's evolving perception of her friend. However, readers will likely have difficulty believing that even though Emma and Louise "had been best friends so long their conversations didn't have beginnings or endings," Emma never considered Louise smart. Several other inconsistencies emerge, and some of the gender roles seem dated (e.g., Louise must do all the housework because her "brother was a real brain and never had to do any household chores"). Ages 8-12. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Inspired by her Aunt Marian, a chemical engineering student, Emma decides to prove for the fifth-grade science fair that girls are actually better than boys. She thinks she has plenty of ammunition to prove her case, too--beginning with the boy who spit gum in her hair. Also involved are Wally, (the only salvageable boy), who chooses to do his science project with Roger instead of with her; and Emma's best friend, Louise, a creative rather than a good-grades type, who's besotted with Roger. The gender contest escalates through tests of politeness, paper airplane making, and Emma's calls to Aunt Marian. The end result is both creative and satisfying, with science fair results and Louise's odd invention (a cool change on the better mousetrap theory) bringing the warring camps together. Very lightweight but with lively language and some funny repartee. GraceAnne A. DeCandido

Grade 3-6-Emma wants to be a scientist, and Kennedy Elementary's science fair is the perfect place for her to show her stuff. But what she wants to show may be hard to prove-that girls are better than boys in every way. When two of her male counterparts set out to prove the opposite, tempers flair in the fifth grade, then throughout the school. Emma enlists the help of her friend Louise, who lacks scientific know-how, but whose unbiased attitude helps Emma understand her own bias toward the project. In trying to settle that age-old dilemma of boy/girl superiority, Matson has created some of the most realistic characters to populate children's books in ages. Emma and Louise are a wonderful balance for one another, and it's fun and gratifying to watch Emma grow from a girl verging on a boy hater to one just learning to appreciate people for who they are rather than what they are. Humorous pencil sketches grace most chapters, poking fun at the characters and the plot, and lending levity and perspective to the story. Matson uses a deft hand to weave together a variety of age-appropriate problems and a first encounter with scientific ethics. A totally entertaining look at girls, boys, and girls and boys.
Linda Bindner, formerly at Athens Clarke County Library, GA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.