The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver

Starred review from February 28, 2005
Ruby Oliver's parents send her to a shrink after the 15-year-old begins experiencing panic attacks. Doctor Z asks her to list boys she "ever had the slightest little any-kind-of-anything with" and, as Ruby winds her way through the list, she slowly reveals what has brought her to therapy. Her basic crisis is this: after six months of dating, her boyfriend, Jackson, breaks up with her, only to go out with her best friend, Kim, the following week. When Kim confesses ("It's not like we could even help it. It's like fate"), Ruby has her first attack. Matters only intensify when Ruby winds up going to the spring formal with Jackson anyway, and kisses him (she claims "he kissed me back"). Kim exacts sharp revenge and Ruby's other friends stop talking to her; the heroine feels like she has become a "leper." The copious footnotes occasionally detract from the narration, but readers will be absorbed in Ruby's honest story. Lockhart (pseudonymous for Jenkins, author of That New Animal
, reviewed above) convincingly captures the intentional—and unintentional—cruelty that comes with dating; even Ruby inflicts pain (Shiv, a popular Indian-American boy she once kissed, is hurt after he thinks she made fun of him: "I heard you... something about I smelled like nutmeg? Like you were disgusted by kissing an Indian or something"). Spot-on dialogue and details make this a painfully recognizable and addictive read. Ages 12-up.

July 1, 2005
Gr 7 Up -E. Lockheart's sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but very realistic coming-of-age novel (Delacorte, 2005) is read by Mandy Siegfried. Fifteen-year-old Ruby (Roo) Oliver's parents realize she needs to see a psychiatrist when she starts to have frightening panic attacks. The story unfolds as Ruby tells Dr. Z of being jilted by her boyfriend and called names by her former girlfriends. Her assignment for the doctor, to make a list of all the boys in her life, ends up being copied and distributed throughout her school. Through the course of her sessions, Ruby learns many things about friendships and makes friends with herself. Siegfried reads in a clear, fast, excited voice. The difficult emotions of a teen going through a very challenging time in her life are reflected via changes in her voice, speed, and tone. She provides a wonderful rendition of a teen repeating her parents' comments with appropriate frustration and sarcasm. Various childish teasing songs and taunts are repeated faithfully. Dialogue and sexual situations are presented frankly. Sure to be popular with teens. -"Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 18, 2005
Siegfried makes a believable 15-year-old narrator as she slips into the role of Ruby Oliver, a spirited girl struggling with identity and self-esteem after suffering the kind of social crisis that sets high schoolers reeling. Ruby's boyfriend of six months, Jackson, has dumped her in favor of her best friend, Kim. Ruby's resulting panic attacks land her in the office of a shrink, Dr. Z, and part of her therapy involves writing a complete list of the boys with whom she's ever had a crush, kiss, relationship or "little any-kind-of-anything." As listeners learn about each entry on the boyfriend list (including lots of authentic-sounding dialogue and asides, which appear in the book as footnotes to the list), they hear the Jackson drama and every painful, truthful detail about the clique land mines Ruby must maneuver when it comes to her former friends, to whom she's now a "leper." Via Siegfried's sharp delivery and expert teen inflection, one can almost envision the eye-rolling and other gestures that might accompany Ruby's smart-aleck, I can't-believe-this-humiliating-thing-is-happening-to-me attitude. Ages 12-up.