BOY PROOF

Carine Montbertrand's sweet voice sounds a bit like that of an adult pretending to be younger than her years, but don't let that deter you. Most of the time she infuses the narrative voice of 16-year-old Victoria Jurgen with a telling mix of irony and yearning. Victoria, nicknamed "Egg" for her favorite sci-fi character, keeps her distance from boys and adults with aggressive plainness and mordant hostility. When Max, a new kid in her school, pierces her armor, she must decide who she wants to be--Victoria or Egg. Montbertrand uses a "with-it" pacing that's just right for this young adult novel; she has an empathy for the story that keeps one rooting for the characters. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06]