Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller

At first glance, this book looks from the cover to be yet another tome to add to the heavily saturated chick-lit genre. You know the one: beautiful girls, more beautiful guys, the rich and fabulous, and the outrageous parties, of course.

But I have to invoke the familiar “don’t judge a book by its cover” saying here. Inside the Mind… is the story of Gideon Rayburn, a teenager who is transferring to a private high school for the rich and beautiful; he’s from a more blue-collar background and has difficulty fitting in. Doesn’t sound very original, does it?

The “hook” of this story is that it is told from the perspective of a teenage girl who is inside Gideon’s head, seeing and hearing everything Gideon does (a la Being John Malkovich, for those of you familiar with that movie). Naturally, the young woman falls in love with Gideon, and it is only at the end that her identity is revealed. In the meantime, we get to watch Gideon stumble around on his journey to becoming a young man.

This story is completely refreshing compared to some other books I’ve read in this genre. The female narrator is rich and beautiful, of course, but she’s very intelligent, observant, and warm (they’re not all mean girls, you know!). Gideon has his moments, but he is overall a guy who really has his act together and has nothing but good intentions. This book proves that not all chick-lit has to be brainless. There is a heart and intelligence to this story.

Oddly enough, half of the libraries in our system have this book in the adult section, including Paramus. But there is no doubt that this is a teen book. There’s some drinking, a little sex, and light drug use…but I’ve read worse in the Gossip Girls books. Venture into the adult section and check out this fun, quality read!

****4 out of 5 stars. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

CURRENTLY READING: Chicks with Sticks: It's a Purl Thing by Elizabeth Lenhard