Every Boy's Got One

I discovered Meg Cabot last year when I was in a used bookstore, saw and liked the cover of Boy Meets Girl, and decided to buy it. Now I buy her books new, and I don't mind buying them in trade-size paperback. Every Boy's Got One is her latest book, and it's wonderful: 4 out of 5.

Cartoonist Jane Harris is flying to Italy to be the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. All would be well, except for the best man, Cal Langdon, who not only has never heard of Jane's Wondercat cartoon, but he also doesn't believe in love or that Holly and Mark should get married. So, what else can a maid of honor do but try to change his mind?

Every Boy's Got One is loosely connected to Boy Meets Girl and The Boy Next Door. Like the other two books, this story is told through e-mail messages; this book adds journal entries, PDA notes, and more. Some of the more amusing moments:

• Jane starts out writing in a travel journal she plans to give to Mark and Holly, the couple. She changes her mind after writing about Cal, "He is kind of cute. I mean, if you like the tall, rugged, sandy-haired, razor-stubbled-with-piercing-blue-eyes-who-knows-how-to-use-a-Blackberry type. Okay. Now I definitely won't be able to give this to Holly and Mark as a wedding present."
  
• Jane and Holly are e-mailing each other while they travel in the same car. Holly assures Jane that the men aren't paying attention to what they're doing. Of course, Mark e-mails Cal and says, "The girls are emailing back and forth about us."


• Holly tells Jane a rumor about Cal that leads him to write, "She has this unnerving habit of staring at my crotch. Yes, she's short, but certainly not so much that this is where her eye level might naturally rest."


• Jane e-mails Cal while traveling. His reply, "Ms. Harris. What a surprise. You're emailing me. From the backseat."


• The group ends up meeting a boy who maintains a Wondercat fan website. He e-mails regular updates to his mailing list, which he signs, "Wundercat Lives--4eva!"

I love the way Cabot doesn't shy away from creating imperfect characters and letting us laugh at them. Jane, for instance, is in many ways a stereotypical American traveler who thinks things should be the way they are in America. In spite of this, she has a refreshing sense of wonder that balances her character and makes her appealing. Cal is also multidimensional.

I've said before that there aren't many authors who make me laugh out loud. Meg Cabot is one of them, and I'm glad she keeps writing.

Alyssa

P.S. Want to know what every boy has? You'll have to read the book.