My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours

Author: Kristina Spinger
Recommended Age: 11 +
Publisher: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux Kids
ISBN-10: 0374399107
ISBN-13: 978-0374399108
Year Published: 2010
No. Pages: 192
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Nicole



When Tori Barnes’ best friend Sienna Baker returns from a summer away, Sienna seems to have outgrown Tori as a friend. She even has a perfect new boyfriend that she can’t stop talking about. Tori comes to believe that Sienna is making him up and decides to make up one of her own. The lying gets out of control and Tori gets herself into a mess she can’t fix. Will the girls tell the truth and discover the meaning of friendship?

This book is a realistic fiction novel written in first person narrative, from Tori’s perspective. Reading a book that is in first person helped me get a better understanding of what Tori was thinking, feeling and what she was going through. I can relate to it because the theme of the novel is friendship. Like me, the girls are twelve years old, and they have problems that I can relate to.

Springer teaches the reader about honesty and friendship. The message I took from the book is, to be honest not only to yourself, but to your friends and family too. A small lie can grow out of control until it seems like you can’t fix it. Telling the truth can make life much easier and you can have better friendships and more friends by being the kind of person others want to be with. I learnt that it’s never a good idea to start a lie because in the end nobody feels good.

I like Tori as a character because the author made her seem like a girl I would like to be friends with. She is nice to her friends and she’s considerate. The thing I like about Tori is that she could be one of my friends and this makes this story more believable.

The cover is really intriguing because it looks like a ad for a fake boyfriend and that’s what made me want to read this book. I also liked how the cover said “Just add water” and “Never argues! Always agrees!” And combined with the cover, the title is enough to let you know his novel well be light and funny.

I rated this book a nine out of ten because Springer dealt with themes of growing up and finding your place. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light and funny read.