urbanmoms.ca review: Gender Blender, by Blake Nelson

Here’s what Random House, Gender Blender’s publisher, had to say about the book:

Emma:
Wants Jeff Matthews to notice her.
Hates sexist boys.
Wonders when she’ll get her period.
Tom:
Must avoid looking like a wuss.
Must deal with his blended family.
Must get a chance with Kelly A.
Then something freaky happens: Emma and Tom switch bodies. And until they can find a remedy:

Emma:
Can’t believe she has a . . . thingie.
Hates mean girls.
Finds out secondhand that her period has arrived.

Tom:
Must learn to put on a bra.
Must deal with an overachieving family.
Must not be alone with Jeff Matthews.

Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? That’s what we thought, so we had it shipped out to our urbanmoms.ca book reviewers. Overall, Gender Blender (written by Blake Nelson and published by Random House) was a hit with our panel. They were pleasantly surprised at the complexity of the plot and characters and although they did feel some of the language and themes were a bit mature for the pre-teen audience, they wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to 13 or 14-year olds. They appreciated the author’s humour and honesty on issues like changing bodies, hormones, emotions, peer pressure and boy-girl relationships.

Here’s what they had to say:

“Down-to-earth and direct writing approach taken to explain an otherwise awkward period of life”, Lori Betts, urbanmoms.ca member

“It surprised a laugh out of me!”, Linda Minaker, urbanmoms.ca member