NEW! GMB Discussion Guide
Publishers Weekly Review
Honors
OTHER REVIEWS
"This conceptually unique collection of short-story pairings by a constellation of teen-literature stars explores a variety of relationship types as the respective male and female involved in each one experience them. "In the first, a witty teen seeking to stop cheating on his girlfriends is drawn into a messy sexual relationship with a troubled (but hot) girl who is an abuse survivor. In another, a likable, tough girl muscles in on a bully who is harassing the object of her crush. In the third, a gay 17-year-old agrees to an in-person meeting with an online-chat buddy in a tale both sad and sweet. Two separate stories examine the strain felt by couples of different ethnic backgrounds as they struggle with prejudice and familial expectations. Finally, a boy re-encounters someone with whom he’s long been enamored, only to discover she’s undergone a transformation. Common themes—that are less about gender-based perceptions than they are about teens struggling to be seen and loved for who they truly are—knit these stories together. Each of the authors excels at creating vibrant, sympathetic, honest characters with voices that will appeal to older teens, male and female alike.
"A superb offering—and therefore a shame that its cover design of a boy and girl in a clinch makes it look like a run-of-the mill romance, which may limit its appeal. (Short stories. 14 & up)"
-- STARRED Review in Kirkus
“Twelve authors of young adult fiction, most of them well known, team up in pairs to tell six stories; each offers a male and a female perspective on a relationship. Interestingly, even within this boy/girl setup, the stories traverse the gender spectrum, including a story about a girl who poses online as a gay boy to find and screen a potential boyfriend for her brother (by James Howe and Ellen Wittlinger), and a boy who seeks out his long-lost crush only to find that she’s undergone some significant, i.e., transsexual, changes (Sara Ryan and Randy Powell). Only a few of the stories feature traditional romantic pairings, and these emerge through the overcoming of racial, ethnic, and body-image differences, as a white boy crushes on a black girl (Rita Garcia-Williams and Terry Trueman), a smallish Native American boy falls for a taller, stronger girl (Joseph Bruchac and Cynthia Leitich Smith), and a Muslim boy and a white Christian farm girl can’t keep their hands off each other (Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis). Chris Crutcher’s and Kelly Milner Halls’ offering looks frankly at two teens trying, and failing, to forge a relationship that moves them beyond their damage; both have significantly skewed notions of the relationship between sex and caring that they can’t overcome. The stories are thus surprising and varied, avoiding any sort of formulaic treatment of relationship dynamics and giving full weight to the complexities of what can happen when a girl meets a boy.”
-- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"In six pairs, prominent YA authors (including Rita Williams-Garcia, Chris Crutcher, and Ellen Wittlinger) each write one half of a story of a relationship between a boy and a girl. Sometimes it’s a passionate one and sometimes it’s sweet and tentative, sometimes there’s a role reversal and sometimes it’s a confusing beginning to something bigger. The author pairs are well chosen, often sharing a cultural background or a long-standing relationship, which gives their fictional couples an added authenticity. These stories illustrate the way a relationship is only one part of a person, just as each person is only one part of a relationship. Because the reader stays with each couple through two stories rather than just one, this book reads more like a series of micro-novellas than a collection of short stories. Additionally, since one of the main themes of all of the stories, varied as they are, is the connection and disconnect that contemporaneously exist within any relationship, this volume should find a wider readership than many other equally solid compilations."
-- Booklist
"In this collection of six vignettes, readers experience both the male and female perspective of affairs that are challenging, life-changing, or seemingly inexplicable. Bobby Wildcat bemoans his short stature and the bullying he endures in his close knit tribal community. Then, without warning, he finds himself drawn to Nancy Whitepath, the town’s large and successful basketball talent. But Bobby’s insecurities often lead him to misinterpret how Nancy is responding to him. In “Want to Meet”, Max plans to meet his online crush, only to be shocked that Alex is a girl (“Alex, it was a gay chat room, okay?”). But Alex’s reasons for starting a relationship online are just as complex as Max’s.
“The Mouths of the Ganges” and ”Mars At Night” look at the challenges that Kerry and Rafi experience in their relationship. He is Bengali, from a devout Muslim family, while she has grown up on an Iowan farm and lives with constant disapproval and guilt trips from her grandmother. But their relationship is only one of the many issues they face, including the post 9/11 prejudice Rafi endures and the potential destruction of Kerry’s farming way of life.
These short stories are collected in the same “he said/she said” format made popular by books such as Cohn and Levithan’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (Knopf, 2006/VOYA ) and Barkley and Hepler’s Scrambled Eggs At Midnight (Speak, 2007/VOYA). For some of the stories, there simply is not enough development for the reader to make firm opinions about characters, their motives, or their situations. However, some of the breakout stories, such as Rafi and Kerry’s tale, beg for a home in their own novel. With its proliferation of romance and hormonally charged electricity, this book could be an easy sell for readers who like escaping in lighter contemporary relationships."
-- VOYA
"HALLS, Kelly Milner, ed. Girl Meets Boy. 208p. Chronicle. Jan. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0264-1. LC number unavailable. Gr 9 Up–All of these stories except the last are told in pairs, with female authors writing from the girls’ perspective and male authors from the guys’. Each gender remembers things differently, though some of the timeframes overlap, and delivers unique information. In the first set of linked stories by Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls, Johnny wants to stop lying, so he enlists Wanda, a troubled girl with her own issues, for help. Neither of them expects to fall in love or to end up where that leads. In Joseph Bruchac’s and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s pair, Bobby has a crush on Nancy, a bruiser who punched her last date. Could someone that strong ever be interested in a guy who used to be bullied? And in James Howe’s and Ellen Wittlinger’s selections, Max is nervous about meeting a boy he has been chatting with online. He’s even more surprised when it turns out that Alex is a girl. Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Terry Davis, Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Sara Ryan, and Randy Powell also contribute tales. Some of the characters walk the line of stereotypes, but the predictability of their attributes and actions can also lend a charming touch since boys and girls have been known to see one another just that way. Not every set of stories works out perfectly: some are happy and others messy, giving the collection as a whole authenticity. Based on the title alone, this anthology might be a hard sell for boys, even with male characters in every story, but short-story fans will enjoy it."
-- School Library Journal
"The stories are in pairs from a male and a female author. Each pair tells the same story but from the other person's point of view. Kelly Milner Halls and Chris Crutcher each provide a story about a romance between an average guy and a dangerous girl. Rita Williams Garcia and Terry Truman's stories follow the budding relationship between an African American girl and a white boy. A girl setting up her brother's first date with another guy is tackled by Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe. This is a masterful collection (I love anthologies) that explores some new territory. Pair this collection up with the Nye and Janeczko poetry collection: I FEEL A LITTLE JUMPY AROUND YOU. Or show students how differing points of view can work with TWICE TOLD, a collection of pairs of stories about the same work of art. And remember that short stories are often the gateway for kids to longer works by authors. So, be sure to have novels by Crutcher, WIlliams-Garcia, Trueman, and the others on hand for readers who liked the stories these authors wrote."
-- Author & Literacy Expert, Teri Lesesne
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
-- Literary Duck, Gift Books Blog, 12/12/11
"Girl Meets Boy is terrific, a wonderful way to showcase the agonies and glories of teen love. By having two POV's in a love match, it reveals how the genders differ, but still just want love."
-- Author, Claire Rudolf Murphy
"A superb offering—and therefore a shame that its cover design of a boy and girl in a clinch makes it look like a run-of-the mill romance, which may limit its appeal. (Short stories. 14 & up)"
-- STARRED Review in Kirkus
“Twelve authors of young adult fiction, most of them well known, team up in pairs to tell six stories; each offers a male and a female perspective on a relationship. Interestingly, even within this boy/girl setup, the stories traverse the gender spectrum, including a story about a girl who poses online as a gay boy to find and screen a potential boyfriend for her brother (by James Howe and Ellen Wittlinger), and a boy who seeks out his long-lost crush only to find that she’s undergone some significant, i.e., transsexual, changes (Sara Ryan and Randy Powell). Only a few of the stories feature traditional romantic pairings, and these emerge through the overcoming of racial, ethnic, and body-image differences, as a white boy crushes on a black girl (Rita Garcia-Williams and Terry Trueman), a smallish Native American boy falls for a taller, stronger girl (Joseph Bruchac and Cynthia Leitich Smith), and a Muslim boy and a white Christian farm girl can’t keep their hands off each other (Terry Davis and Rebecca Fjelland Davis). Chris Crutcher’s and Kelly Milner Halls’ offering looks frankly at two teens trying, and failing, to forge a relationship that moves them beyond their damage; both have significantly skewed notions of the relationship between sex and caring that they can’t overcome. The stories are thus surprising and varied, avoiding any sort of formulaic treatment of relationship dynamics and giving full weight to the complexities of what can happen when a girl meets a boy.”
-- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
"In six pairs, prominent YA authors (including Rita Williams-Garcia, Chris Crutcher, and Ellen Wittlinger) each write one half of a story of a relationship between a boy and a girl. Sometimes it’s a passionate one and sometimes it’s sweet and tentative, sometimes there’s a role reversal and sometimes it’s a confusing beginning to something bigger. The author pairs are well chosen, often sharing a cultural background or a long-standing relationship, which gives their fictional couples an added authenticity. These stories illustrate the way a relationship is only one part of a person, just as each person is only one part of a relationship. Because the reader stays with each couple through two stories rather than just one, this book reads more like a series of micro-novellas than a collection of short stories. Additionally, since one of the main themes of all of the stories, varied as they are, is the connection and disconnect that contemporaneously exist within any relationship, this volume should find a wider readership than many other equally solid compilations."
-- Booklist
"In this collection of six vignettes, readers experience both the male and female perspective of affairs that are challenging, life-changing, or seemingly inexplicable. Bobby Wildcat bemoans his short stature and the bullying he endures in his close knit tribal community. Then, without warning, he finds himself drawn to Nancy Whitepath, the town’s large and successful basketball talent. But Bobby’s insecurities often lead him to misinterpret how Nancy is responding to him. In “Want to Meet”, Max plans to meet his online crush, only to be shocked that Alex is a girl (“Alex, it was a gay chat room, okay?”). But Alex’s reasons for starting a relationship online are just as complex as Max’s.
“The Mouths of the Ganges” and ”Mars At Night” look at the challenges that Kerry and Rafi experience in their relationship. He is Bengali, from a devout Muslim family, while she has grown up on an Iowan farm and lives with constant disapproval and guilt trips from her grandmother. But their relationship is only one of the many issues they face, including the post 9/11 prejudice Rafi endures and the potential destruction of Kerry’s farming way of life.
These short stories are collected in the same “he said/she said” format made popular by books such as Cohn and Levithan’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (Knopf, 2006/VOYA ) and Barkley and Hepler’s Scrambled Eggs At Midnight (Speak, 2007/VOYA). For some of the stories, there simply is not enough development for the reader to make firm opinions about characters, their motives, or their situations. However, some of the breakout stories, such as Rafi and Kerry’s tale, beg for a home in their own novel. With its proliferation of romance and hormonally charged electricity, this book could be an easy sell for readers who like escaping in lighter contemporary relationships."
-- VOYA
"HALLS, Kelly Milner, ed. Girl Meets Boy. 208p. Chronicle. Jan. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4521-0264-1. LC number unavailable. Gr 9 Up–All of these stories except the last are told in pairs, with female authors writing from the girls’ perspective and male authors from the guys’. Each gender remembers things differently, though some of the timeframes overlap, and delivers unique information. In the first set of linked stories by Chris Crutcher and Kelly Milner Halls, Johnny wants to stop lying, so he enlists Wanda, a troubled girl with her own issues, for help. Neither of them expects to fall in love or to end up where that leads. In Joseph Bruchac’s and Cynthia Leitich Smith’s pair, Bobby has a crush on Nancy, a bruiser who punched her last date. Could someone that strong ever be interested in a guy who used to be bullied? And in James Howe’s and Ellen Wittlinger’s selections, Max is nervous about meeting a boy he has been chatting with online. He’s even more surprised when it turns out that Alex is a girl. Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Terry Davis, Rebecca Fjelland Davis, Sara Ryan, and Randy Powell also contribute tales. Some of the characters walk the line of stereotypes, but the predictability of their attributes and actions can also lend a charming touch since boys and girls have been known to see one another just that way. Not every set of stories works out perfectly: some are happy and others messy, giving the collection as a whole authenticity. Based on the title alone, this anthology might be a hard sell for boys, even with male characters in every story, but short-story fans will enjoy it."
-- School Library Journal
"The stories are in pairs from a male and a female author. Each pair tells the same story but from the other person's point of view. Kelly Milner Halls and Chris Crutcher each provide a story about a romance between an average guy and a dangerous girl. Rita Williams Garcia and Terry Truman's stories follow the budding relationship between an African American girl and a white boy. A girl setting up her brother's first date with another guy is tackled by Ellen Wittlinger and James Howe. This is a masterful collection (I love anthologies) that explores some new territory. Pair this collection up with the Nye and Janeczko poetry collection: I FEEL A LITTLE JUMPY AROUND YOU. Or show students how differing points of view can work with TWICE TOLD, a collection of pairs of stories about the same work of art. And remember that short stories are often the gateway for kids to longer works by authors. So, be sure to have novels by Crutcher, WIlliams-Garcia, Trueman, and the others on hand for readers who liked the stories these authors wrote."
-- Author & Literacy Expert, Teri Lesesne
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
-- Literary Duck, Gift Books Blog, 12/12/11
"Girl Meets Boy is terrific, a wonderful way to showcase the agonies and glories of teen love. By having two POV's in a love match, it reveals how the genders differ, but still just want love."
-- Author, Claire Rudolf Murphy
Girl Meets Boy BLOG COMMENTS
TEACH MENTOR TEXTS
"I wish there were stories and book like this one when I was in high school! It took me a long time to realize that my girly brain works much like all the mushy happy-ending movies out there while my husband’s operates much like the action-adventure-comedy movies that he enjoys. Sometimes we’re on the same page and sometimes we’re thinking completely differently. I’ve often thought it would be interesting to get inside his brain and understand his perspective on things.
"Just like readers bring their own background knowledge to a reading of a book, we as people, bring our background knowledge or experiences to any situation in life. This collection of stories helps give some definition to what this might look like. The idea of being able to walk around in another person’s shoes and to see life from his or her perspective is not a new one but it can sometimes still be a difficult one. What does our world become if we can’t try and empathize with others and to try and understand how life is different when you are younger or older, more or less fortunate, a girl or a boy, gay or straight, black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Middleastern? I love how the stories in this book don’t just tell simple stories of kids in love. They show complex stories of how love crosses boundaries and what one person can mean to another. I know high school students who would devour these stories and identify with the emotions that are experienced by the characters."
IN THE BEST WORLDS
The first set of stories was seriously intense and very gritty. I was surprised - the cover is so adorable and cutsy. If it had just been the story that this collection opened with, I'd say someone thought the cover was some kind of irony. The first story dealt with a lot of issues that aren't often openly discussed, and quite frankly, not something I like to willingly read every day.
But each story as I went further on in the collection got better and better. I also completely love that this short book contained so many different characters from all walks of life - different races, sexual orientation, and other backgrounds - are varied and well represented. You have the Muslim boy in Iowa who loves a pig farmer's daughter. There's the sweet white boy who's in love with a black girl. There's a gay boy who's looking for another boy to love and the girl who's looking for someone to show her that not everyone is a terrible human being. You have you're good old stereotypical jock who falls for the girl who uses sex as a manipulative tool and as a guard. And the tough Native American basketball star who defends the seemingly weak boy who's just waiting for the right time to break out his karate skills. And I won't even tell you who the characters are in the last story - because that was my favorite one and finding out who they are is the best part. I thought the online story was my favorite until I read the last one and I totally fell in love. Sigh.
This is an impressive collection and it's worth reading, wonderful to disperse with other readings. It's a small, condensed collection. I just have to inject, I loved reading something else by Terry Davis, who wrote the wonderful Vision Quest - and who attended my own alma mater, Minnesota State University, Mankato. I loved Vision Quest, and I'm always proud to read authors who've attended MNSU (not YA - but Nicole Helget, author of Turtle Catcher and Christina Olsen, author of the collection of poems, Before I Came Home Naked are also products of MNSU and wonderful, just saying...) Anyhow, don't get turned off by the first couple of stories - they are by far the most intense, and my personal least favorite. Keep going. Honestly, the last story is worth reading all the rest of them. Of course, you don't have to read in order, I just find it hard to read anything out of order.
A DREAM OF BOOKS
...disagrees with THAT COVER GIRL. Yay!
"There isn't a lot of information available yet about this book (I will add more as I have it) but it's an anthology of YA short stories edited by Kelly Milner Halls. Look at that cover though! It's utterly gorgeous and looks like the perfect romantic read for Spring."
TEEN VOICES
Award winning author Cynthia Leitich-Smith was kind enough to mention her story pair with Joseph Bruchac on this terrific interview. Thanks Cynthia. Thanks TEEN VOICES, too.
ACTIN' UP WITH BOOKS
This month I shared a few words about one of my favorite independent bookstores, Auntie's in Spokane. But Joli included a photo of GIRL MEETS BOY's beautiful cover, and soon I'll be writing about that project., too.
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS CENTRAL
Just a brief mention at the end of a "best of" round-up by Maarten Vlaar.
" I can’t wait to see GIRL MEETS BOY edited by Kelly Milner Halls, which comes out in 2012."
Thank you so much! I can't wait for you to read it either, Maarten!
THAT COVER GIRL
I don't agree about the cover being lame. But I love this blogger for wanting to READ the book. She says:
"Chronicle Books, you win The Most Awkward Cover Art award, hands down, no competition. And what’s more, you also win The Book I Most Want to Read in January 2012 award because this is what your innards are about:
GIRL MEETS BOY, a collection of “he said/she said” short stories examines the power of perception, enlisting writing duos to tell the same story from two gender opposite points of view. Differences are clear in each controversial tale, but so are similarities, revealing the historic chasm might just be possible to bridge.
This anthology is not for the faint of heart. Their hands free, each author — most YA stars in their own right — wrote candid, sometimes shocking accounts of love, longing, stereotypes and the hope for clarity common in the young adult realm. These stories will have teens talking — about the book and about challenges of their own. (from Jill Corcoran Books)
A cover that makes me feel the need to blink several times in disbelief and yet excited to read the book? I feel like that deserves some kind of award, too."
Thanks, Literary Duck!
You recommended GIRL MEETS BOY as a great gift, and that means you're SWELL in my book! Or maybe that means my book is swell? Either way, THANKS! All the writers in GMB salute you!
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
"Halls—who writes wonderfully enjoyable nonfiction books and works with Chris Crutcher—invited pairs of YA authors to submit stories from differing points of view in a story. That is, one writes from a boy’s POV, one from a girl’s, but it’s the same story. Or is it? The list of great YA authors in this anthology includes Ellen Wittlinger, James Howe, Rita Williams-Garcia, Terry Trueman, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Joseph Bruchac and more—and my favorite story, one that’s on the slightly more adult side of young adult, comes from Portland’s Sara Ryan and Randy Powell. That is a power group—and most of the authors really come through. A lighter book than this list’s dystopian heavy-hitters (and the psychological thriller that is Chime), Girl Meets Boy provides both pleasure and thoughtful contemplation for those who crack it open and dive in."
Kirkus Screen Capture! YAY!!!!
