Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials

by Rosalind Wiseman

Book Overview

Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there s no escaping high school drama. Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399247963
• ISBN13: 9780399247965
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Tina Fey Is right...

It is true what Tina Fey has said about this book. You can't put it down. It took me two days to read it because I did need some sleep. For the longest time I was looking for a book I could relate to. It was 100% accurate to my high school experience, but it's relatable. As I was reading it I was picturing my high school, actors and actress who would play the characters if it was a movie. When a book can have you imagine more than what's on the page, that's when you know you have a good book on hand and this book was certainly a good book to have. No mater what your age or education level, this book is a must read for all.

Such a cute story!

My Thoughts: This is the first book by Rosalind Wiseman that I have read. I've heard both good and bad on this one. I really did enjoy it though. Yes, a little bit of it was predictable but I still enjoyed reading it. We meet Charlie who just transferred to a new school and does not know anyone. She makes a friend fast and on that same day also runs into her old friend Will. She has not seen him in 3 years! He moved away and now he is back at her new school. He is A LOT hotter than she remembers but she starts to like another guy but also feels drawn to Will. He is a varsity player now and involved in a lot of hazing rituals. Charlie is thrown into a world of secrets and she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't want to hurt Will but she also wants to tell the truth. What happens to Charlie? What happens between Charlie and Will? Read the book to find out. Overall: I really loved this one. Its a quick fun read and is a rather light book to read. I could relate to Charlie and Will and how they had developed feelings for each other. It was such a cute read. Cover: Really like the cover. I really want to see their faces though. haha

It's funny, it's serious, it's tender and real, it's awesome.

When I heard Rosalind Wiseman was making her fiction debut for teens I just had to read it. I knew her non-fiction book, Queen Bees and Wannabes was the inspiration for the movie Mean Girls and knew this had to have some of that same spirit and it definitely did. I love how in Charlie's past is a realization that mean girls walked all over her and she stood by and let them hurt people. She realized what had gone down, left the situation and those so called friends behind to start high school with that behind her. She thought she would be able to face off with any mean girls at her new school and do the right thing but she doesn't realize that even though you've been through it once you might not be an old pro by the second time. And this time the situation is different, it's mean boys that have never been stopped but will Charlie be the one to stop them? I really liked the balance in this story, there are friends (new & old), family, school, and a little romance. It's all there and it just sucked me in. It's funny, it's serious, it's tender and real, it's awesome.

Wonderful

Can I tell you how much I loved this YA? Boys, Girls & Other Hazardous Materials (that is one long title) is the exact type of YA book that I love. We meet our main character Charlie - who is your typical teen girl - she is new at Harmony Falls - and feels as though she may not fit it. However, on her very first day at school, she meets Sydney who will become her BFF instantly. As we will find out as the story develops, all is not what it appears with Charlie - there is actually a very good reason why she is at a new school and, unfortunately, slowly but surely her past will creep up to bite her in the derriere!!!!! First, she will come face to face with a girl from her old school - someone she mistreated badly - and will have to work towards fixing her wrongs and trying to rebuild that relationship. Then, she will come across a friend who had left town and is now back and lastly, she will find herself in a moral situation where she will have to do the right thing. This book is full of hidden and not so hidden messages aimed at teens - everyting from standing up for someone being bullied to drinking, driving and hazing to, in the end, doing the right thing. But the thing that I loved the most about this book is that while the author is telling us this story - loaded with morals - she never preaches and she never "forces the lesson upon us". This novel is a joy to read, the pacing is perfect and I found that all of the teens portrayed in this book were very real life - with real life issues and problems. Its hell being a teen in this day and age - as this novel shows. I loved, loved, loved this book.

A librarian's review

Boys, Girls, and other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman. I really enjoyed this book, although it brought back some of my own memories about school I'd have rather not remembered. Ms. Wiseman weaves a familiar and believable tale of a high school freshman as she attends a new school. The reader always knows what Charlie, the main character, is thinking and the secondary characters are also well developed. The relationships Charlie has with the others in the book are easy to follow. At times, it is hard to pick out the "good guy," but this is not unusual in a real setting. Ms. Wiseman does not shy away from the issues surrounding our schools today, such as hazing, drinking, bullying, racism, and adults who are focused on things other than the well being of their students. There are parts of the book that seemed predictable, but the author does a good job of throwing the reader curve balls just when the plot is starting to slow. This book doesn't make the mistake of focusing too much on the adults in the story, but only mentions them when the main characters are in direct contact with them. It is written in the first person and that makes it easy to follow and get wrapped up in; this is one of those books that once you start reading it, you get pulled in and don't want to stop until you see how it is going to end. This is an excellent book for girls who are reluctant readers, or for those who want a quick and enjoyable read. Charlie's voice is fresh and strong, and her character grows throughout the book as she deals with problem after problem. By the end of the book, Charlie doesn't know who to trust, but everything gets resolved, and everyone is happy, except for the bad guys.