The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
Lenore Appelhans
Carolrhoda Lab Books
Published March 5, 2019
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About The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
Riley lives in TropeTown, where everyone plays stock roles in novels. Riley, a Manic Pixie Dream Boy, is sent to group therapy after going off-script. He knows that breaking the rules again could get him terminated, yet he feels there must be more to life than recycling the same clichés for readers’ entertainment. Then he meets Zelda, a Manic Pixie Dream Girl (Geek Chic subtype), and falls head over heels in love. Zelda’s in therapy too, along with several other Manic Pixies. But TropeTown has a dark secret, and if Riley and his fellow Manic Pixies don’t get to the bottom of it, they may all be terminated.
My Review
This book is super cute. It reminded me a little bit of OFF THE PAGE by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer. Both stories take place in a world populated by story characters. In MANIC PIXIE, the characters are sort of like stereotyped actors who show up for roles in multiple stories. Only Riley and his friends are tired of being typecast.
I like the bright, chipper tone of the story. MANIC PIXIE is one of those books that’s not afraid to poke fun at itself, too, which was great! It made it lots of fun to read. I like how quirky the characters are (yay for manic pixie dream boys and girls!). Just overall, this was a really fun read.
Readers who liked OFF THE PAGE and/or fans of Scott Westerfeld’s SO YESTERDAY totally need to check out MANIC PIXIE DREAM BOY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation
One minor character is a lesbian.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between boy and girl.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Some off-scene violence – someone burns down a building.
Drug Content
None.
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