The Crazy Things Girls Do for Love

by Dyan Sheldon, Kate Rudd (Read by)

Overview

Sicilee and Maya have been rivals since elementary school. Now in high school, they dislike each other more than ever. Sicilee is the center of the most popular group at Clifton Springs, and Maya is the heart of the hip, trendy set. And neither of them is likely to notice Waneeda, who prefers to eat candy and work as little as possible. None of these girls has a thing in common until Cody Lightfoot, the most drop-dead gorgeous boy imaginable, joins the student body, causing every girl’s head to turn. But all Cody seems to care about is the Environmental Club, which has the distinction of being the most unpopular club in the history of the school. Nerdy club or not, none of the three girls can let the other be the first to get a date with Cody. But how far are they prepared to go? Will Waneeda actually join a club? Will Sicilee start reading labels rather than wearing them? Will Maya take up riding her bike to school and eating tofu?

With her trademark quick-fire wit, Dyan Sheldon shows just what girls will do for love  —  and what earth-changing realizations they might have along the way, despite themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455829606
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	12/13/2011
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 5.80(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 14 Years

About the Author

Dyan Sheldon is the author of many novels for young readers, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which was made into a major motion picture. American by birth, she lives in north London.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Superior comic writing combined with a major snark factor turns this full-on chick-lit outing into major fun...Plenty of witty merriment for all high-school social sets.
—Kirkus Reviews

Falling in love blends with saving the earth in Sheldon's latest novel, and both dramas are passionate, urgent, transforming, and hilarious.
—Booklist

The whole story is hilarious and totally relatable. Every girl has done something a little insane to attract the attention of a cute guy, but we love that Maya and Sicilee accidentally end up doing some good for the world in the process!
—Seventeen.com

Editorial Reviews

Going green is initially more about romance than righteousness for high school rivals Sicilee and Maya, but their attempts to do so provide lots of laughs. It all begins when the girls vie for the attention of gorgeous new student Cody Lightfoot (“His are the kind of impossible good looks that make even the least impressionable of people think, My God! Is that what humans are supposed to look like?”). When he shows an interest in joining the school’s environmental club—previously “the most pathetic club in the whole universe”—and starts planning an Earth Day fair, the competition is on. Using drily funny third-person narration to expose various characters’ hypocrisies, Sheldon (My Worst Best Friend) shows impeccable comic timing and a strong sense of irony as she traces Sicilee’s and Maya’s education in veganism and their mostly unsuccessful attempts to persuade friends and family that their newfound desire to reduce, reuse, and recycle is sincere. Underlying the episodes is a relevant message about dwindling resources, as both heroines begin to realize that their environmental efforts may be more vital than snagging a boy. Ages 12–14. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Superior comic writing combined with a major snark factor turns this full-on chick-lit outing into major fun...Plenty of witty merriment for all high-school social sets.
—Kirkus Reviews

Falling in love blends with saving the earth in Sheldon's latest novel, and both dramas are passionate, urgent, transforming, and hilarious.
—Booklist

Going green is initially more about romance than righteousness for high school rivals Sicilee and Maya, but their attempts to do so provide lots of laughs. Using drily funny third-person narration to expose various characters’ hypocrisies, Sheldon shows impeccable comic timing and a strong sense of irony…
—Publishers Weekly

The whole story is hilarious and totally relatable. Every girl has done something a little insane to attract the attention of a cute guy, but we love that Maya and Sicilee accidentally end up doing some good for the world in the process!
—Seventeen.com

Dyan Sheldon, who has made a name for herself with breezy, funny, smart fiction like CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN, is back in fine form with THE CRAZY THINGS GIRLS DO FOR LOVE. Her often snarky narration, which shifts back and forth among a handful of characters, cleverly showcases each character’s delusions, shortcomings and misperceptions...Fortunately, Sheldon manages to educate her characters, including interesting factoids about the planet that just might enlighten many readers as well.
—TeenReads.com

From the Publisher

Gr 7–10—When "movie star gorgeous" Cody Lighfoot comes to Clifton Springs High School, the entire female student body goes gaga, including underachiever, Waneeda; popularity princess, Sicilee; and longtime rival, uber hip Maya. When Cody's only interest seems to be the high school's environmental club, Sicilee and Maya join and try to "out green" one another in order to snag Cody. Along the way, the three girls discover several things about themselves and the seemingly perfect Cody that changes everything. Kate Rudd keeps Dyan Sheldon's lighthearted, predictable story (Candlewick, 2011) moving along with her verbal portraits of the girls. She gives each one a distinct voice that is spot-on: Sicilee is a high pitched Valley girl, Maya has a more subdued tone with touches of hippy, and the lower register throaty pitch tinged with indifference is perfect for Waneeda. Rudd handles male voices with skill as well, including Cody, whose voice reflects his confidence mixed with just the right amount of persuasive charm. Upbeat music throughout is the perfect background for the story. A fun, fast-moving listen.—Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI

School Library Journal - Audio

Superior comic writing combined with a major snark factor turns this full-on chick-lit outing into major fun. Fashion addict Sicilee and her despised mega-rival, artsy Maya, dominate the popular set of their high school. Meanwhile, the out group, including frumpy Waneeda and eco-warrior Clemens, live in obscurity, eating at the nerd table in the cafeteria. Enter new student Cody, the most pulse-throbbing, eyeball-popping, drop-dead gorgeous boy anyone at the school has ever seen. Instantly, all the girls fall for him, including, secretly, Waneeda. Sicilee and Maya, however, enter an all-or-nothing war to snag Cody as a boyfriend. Suave, charming Cody, meanwhile, treats everyone the same, including the out group, but shows no interest in anything other than the nerdy environmental club. Sicilee and Maya focus their efforts into working for the formerly scorned club in their attempts to attract Cody, and they begin to find interests beyond their accustomed resolute superficiality. Sheldon lustily lampoons high-school social systems, flinging zinger metaphors onto nearly every page, such as describing the social hierarchy as "slightly more rigid than that of feudal Europe," but she also gets under her characters' skins. Despite the breezy tone, the story ends up with a hint of depth and an emphasis on going green. Plenty of witty merriment for all high-school social sets. (Chick-lit comedy. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews