Saturday, September 25, 2010

Review: Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

Book: Geek Magnet (Kieran Scott)
Stand-Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 308
Genre: Young Adult 

Preview on Google Books
Description (From Goodreads):

Everyone loves KJ Miller, especially the geeks. She's pretty, smart, and super nice to everyone, which has made her the geek pied piper of Washington High. If only Cameron, the star of the basketball team, would follow her around and worship her the way her dorky entourage does.
As the stage manager of the spring musical, Grease, KJ has to deal with a few geeks, but she also gets to hang out with Tama, queen of the popular crowd and star of the play. Tama has the solution to all of KJ's problems: get cruel. After all, the nice girl never gets the guy. Can KJ actually pull off a transformation into a mean girl?


I had not heard a lot concerning this book, probably because it's a few years old, but I saw it on sale online, so I picked it up on a whim. The story sounded cute enough and I thought the cover was adorable so I purchased it. All things considered, I am glad I had a chance to read this book.

The story centers around KJ, a high school junior who was just given the job of stage manager for her school's musical production of Grease. I think a lot of people can relate to KJ, I certainly can. There are a lot of teen books out there about "mean girls" and 'frenemies" and whatnot; but KJ is entirely unique in this market - she is a nice girl. In fact, she is too nice. She cannot be mean to anyone and therefore attracts the unwanted attention of the school geeks. I love the idea of this, because this really happens. I was one of those girls in high school, not to the extent of KJ, but I could not make someone feel bad either.
Anyways, on with the story. The problem arises when Resident popular girl, who happens to be playing Sandy, takes KJ under her wing. Tama tries to set her up with KJ's longtime crush Cameron, but Tama declares that the geeks have to go. She tries to teach KJ how to repel the geeks and how to be mean. Now of course, drama ensues and KJ begins to question who she is becoming. People begin to get angry with the new KJ, but a select few stand by her side.

One of which is her new friend, Robbie. You see, the two of them developed a friendship because KJ agreed to help Robbie get Tama interested in him. However, their bond soon grows and KJ really begins to trust and rely on Robbie.
The geeks are also brilliantly and hilariously written. There are three main geeks that kind of stalk KJ throughout the book  - Andy, Glenn and Fred. Andy is incredibly smart and logical. Everything he does has some kind of scientific backing. He is also extremely into health foods. He is constantly trying to get KJ to eat weird foods. Then, there is Glenn. Glenn is my least favorite type of Geek. He is super touchy-feely. We all know people like that. He seems to have no idea about the concept of a personal bubble and is constantly saying inappropriate things to KJ. Finally, we have Fred. Fred is chubby next door neighbor. He is extremely sweet and would do anything for her. Unfortunately, he is exactly socially graced and he often embarrasses himself and those around him.

Honestly, the only problem I had with Geek Magnet, is that it was rather predictable. The plot was not surprising in the slightest, but it was still well written. The characters are charming enough that it is still an enjoyable read, even when you know what is coming. 

Geek Magnet was a quick and enjoyable read that is perfect for a lazy day. It is easy to get into, but isn't exactly hard to process. It isn't the best book I've ever read in this genre, but it was certainly entertaining.




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