Freak Magnet by Andrew Auseon

Title: Freak Magnet
Author: Andrew Auseon
Publication: HarperTeen (2010)
ISBN 0061139262
Format: Hardcover ($16.99) 304 pages
Acquired: I personally picked this book out at the library.

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A NOVEL ABOUT FREAKS, GEEKS,

CRUSHES, AND FRIENDS--

AND HOW SOMETIMES YOU

CAN BE ALL OF THEM AT ONCE.

Charlie is the freak. Gloria is the freak magnet. They're pretty much destined to meet. And when they do, sparks fly . .  . for Charlie. Gloria, well, she just thinks he's like every other freak who feels compelled to talk to her, although a little better-looking than most.

While Charlie has his head in the clouds, Gloria's got hers in a book: her Freak Folio--a record of every weirdo who's talked to her in the last year (it's a big book). But never before has she felt the pull to get to know one of them better. Until now.

In this he-said-she-said tale of love, loss, and lucky signs from the author of the acclaimed Funny Little Monkey, two young strangers at a crossroads in their lives become friends by happy accident (okay, maybe some harmless stalking is involved--and not by the person you'd think!) and forever change each other.

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This book has alternating point of view every other chapter between Charlie and Gloria that starts with Charlie. He is awkward and he has a trip planned to Chile for an astronomy internship that he won over thousands. Gloria's family has never been further than they are during the book. The book is about how Gloria and Charlie learning to open up to other people after they have become closed off from situations that have broken both of their hearts. They just want to get away from the problems that are bugging them.

My favorite characters are not the main characters but then for me they so rarely are. I liked Charlie's best friend, Edison and Gloria's older sister, Maggie. Edison tries to stop Charlie from "pulling a Charlie". Pulling a Charlie is when Charlie gets excited he forgets how he is supposed to act and without scaring the person that he is talking to. Charlie has the tendency to yell a lot. Edison and Charlie became friends after Edison was put into a wheelchair and Edison takes it upon himself to protect Charlie and is like a typical teenage boy. Maggie loves comic books and dresses like some of her favorite character all of the time. She looks out for Gloria and encouarages her to act crazy every so often.

Charlie and Gloria like I have already stated somewhere up there are the main characters. Charlie is a bit of a jerk near the end of the book while Gloria is a jerk in the beginning. So they each have their moments of jerkitude. I like how way the author does the tone of both of the voices in the point of views. I found the ending of the book to be sweet but a little bittersweet.