From the author of I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader! KJ Miller is the stage manager for her high school musical, Grease. She's the smart, pretty, nice girl who tries to make everyone happy, and unfortunately, that means all of the geeks in the school follows her around like a herd of puppies. That doesn't make her look too appealing to her longtime crush, Cameron, but the popular star of the show, Tama, has a solution: get mean. Really cruel. The nice girl never gets the popular guy, right? How much would you be willing to change about yourself to get the guy of your dreams? Chick lit for grade 7 and up. ( )

KJ Miller is kind, smart—and thus every geek’s dream girl. KJ spends most of her waking hours either being the stage manager for her school’s musical Grease, trying to dodge her geeky stalkers, and dreading the havoc her alcoholic father wreaks on their family. So when Tama Gold, the popular star of the musical, befriends KJ and unveils a plan to help KJ “get mean” to stave off the geeks and win the heart of her crush, basketball star Cameron, KJ can hardly believe her luck. Can she finally be getting what she’s always wanted?

At first things seem to be going well for KJ, but it’s not long before things don’t turn out as she hopes. Maybe it’s time for KJ to reevaluate who her true friends are, as well as whether or not Cameron is the right guy for her.

I wish this book had existed when I was in middle school, because it would’ve easily been one of my favorites. GEEK MAGNET is cute and heartfelt enough to excuse its predictable plot and occasionally stilted writing.

KJ is an easily relatable protagonist, with her unwanted geek posse (I’m sure we’ve all had those awkward crush-stalkers before!), familial worries, and subsequent growth into a bigger and better person. The thing is, she’s not a bad person to start with, and neither is Tama a straight-up antagonist: Tama’s lessons in “getting mean” have some merit to them, and the balance between right and wrong is well done in this story.

GEEK MAGNET also takes a step further beyond a simple story of high school friendship, love, and popularity with its frank portrayal of KJ’s father’s problems. Alcoholism is not a topic I’ve come across often in middle-grade literature, and again, I appreciated how Kieran Scott balanced this book’s contents so that it wasn’t pure froth or agonizingly serious.

More experienced readers will probably be forced to fault this novel for its blatant predictability and somewhat stilted dialogue. However, this is a good one for tween girls: it combines a strong protagonist, down-to-earth high school problems, and a cute romance for an appealing read. ( )

I loved this book. and tought that some people can relate to what KJ miller was going trough in the book. If you are a big teen novel reader then you should read this book. ( )

Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

girl loved by geeks. How can you not love a character that is loved by people who secretly drive her insane?

KJ Miller is a nice girl. She's nice to everyone. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body.

Until she meets Tama Gold. And becomes friends with her. The popular girl. The girl who teaches her how to "stand up" for herself. Or, basically, more or less, teaches her how to be mean!

KJ finally gets the chance to go out with her wildly popular crush and realizes something. But what exactly?

Is Tama really her friend?

And is her crush really her crush?

GEEK MAGNET is definitely the 2008 summer must-read! I adored KJ right from the first page. There are serious issues in this book, but they are portrayed in the most fabulous way. Funny! A book everyone should read this summer! ( )

KJ Miller can't figure out why all the geeks in school seem to be attracted to her. She's pretty much an average high school student, the stage manager of her school's production of "Grease," but doesn't have the popularity of someone like Cameron Richardson, the really cool jock she's had a crush on for forever. But when Tama Gold promises to help her get a backbone and maybe start planting some seeds with Cameron, thinks start looking up. Or so KJ thinks.

The stage is set by page 40, all the players in place - the good girl, the popular crowd, the best friend, and the boy who asks her for help getting Tama's attention. I knew where things were going, but the draw to this book was watching KJ's character grow as she starts to speak up more and even as she realizes how Tama's using her. The relationships described reminded me a lot of my own high school days. ( )