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- Fly on the Wall
Fly on the Wall
Author(s)
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
12+
Release Date
March 14, 2006
ISBN
0385732813
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Editor reviews
2 reviews
How one girl saw....everything!
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
In E. Lockharts Fly on the Wall, we meet Gretchen Yee. In an artsy magnet school full of people trying really hard to be different (which really makes them all kind of the same, just in different ways), she feels really ordinary. And she just doesnt get guys. Why in the world do they say the things they say? Do they really only think about one thing? She just doesnt get it and even her best friend Katya cant help (not to mention, Katya seems to have a leg up on Gretchen as far as guys are concerned).
The worst, perhaps, is that she has a full-on crush on Titus but she cant tell if he likes her or not. Maybe shes reading too much into things? Maybe&maybe she just has no clue.
But then&things get really interesting. After off-handedly mentioning to Katya that she wished she was a fly on the wall of the boys locker room, Gretchen gets her wish. She wakes up the next morning as a fly. Yes, a hairy-legged, bug-eyed fly. In the boys locker room.
Suddenly, the girl whos never been hardly able to even look a guy in the eye and converse with him is surrounded by naked male bodies.
Hmmm. Yeah, just think about that a second.
For the first day or so of her flyhood, Gretchen learns a lot about boys and their, er, gherkins. Then she starts to notice the other things going on, like the locker room conversations. The way that Titus seems to be totally inept at sports and is ashamed of his body (but dont worry, this doesnt make her like him lessand she also learns what a good friend Titus can be when he stands up to the biggest bully around.). The way the hierarchies ebb and flow. The way that some boys really like to leave nothing to the imagination.
She sees cruelness. Kindness. And, of course, lots of&gherkins (this, honestly, was a euphemism Id never come across before, but it works in a very funny way. Conversely, girls breasts are referred to as biscuits in the book. Another new one for me. I have to ask, E. Lockhart, were you hungry when writing this one?).
At the end of the week, Gretchen very happily finds herself back in her own body. And, with her newfound knowledge shes determined to make some things right.
Can she stop Katya from breaking up with her boyfriend over something silly? Will she have the courage to actually ask Titus out? Will she take a stand and ask for equal rights for the girls in the school (who have to suffer with an under-sized locker room)?
Only one of the plot points didnt wrap up in a satisfactory manner the two African Dance attendees that got picked on in the locker room every day have no resolution. However, thats pretty true to life. Theres some things that just are the way they are in high school.
Recommended for readers aged 12 and up, especially girls looking for some insights into that peculiar thing we call the male psyche.
The worst, perhaps, is that she has a full-on crush on Titus but she cant tell if he likes her or not. Maybe shes reading too much into things? Maybe&maybe she just has no clue.
But then&things get really interesting. After off-handedly mentioning to Katya that she wished she was a fly on the wall of the boys locker room, Gretchen gets her wish. She wakes up the next morning as a fly. Yes, a hairy-legged, bug-eyed fly. In the boys locker room.
Suddenly, the girl whos never been hardly able to even look a guy in the eye and converse with him is surrounded by naked male bodies.
Hmmm. Yeah, just think about that a second.
For the first day or so of her flyhood, Gretchen learns a lot about boys and their, er, gherkins. Then she starts to notice the other things going on, like the locker room conversations. The way that Titus seems to be totally inept at sports and is ashamed of his body (but dont worry, this doesnt make her like him lessand she also learns what a good friend Titus can be when he stands up to the biggest bully around.). The way the hierarchies ebb and flow. The way that some boys really like to leave nothing to the imagination.
She sees cruelness. Kindness. And, of course, lots of&gherkins (this, honestly, was a euphemism Id never come across before, but it works in a very funny way. Conversely, girls breasts are referred to as biscuits in the book. Another new one for me. I have to ask, E. Lockhart, were you hungry when writing this one?).
At the end of the week, Gretchen very happily finds herself back in her own body. And, with her newfound knowledge shes determined to make some things right.
Can she stop Katya from breaking up with her boyfriend over something silly? Will she have the courage to actually ask Titus out? Will she take a stand and ask for equal rights for the girls in the school (who have to suffer with an under-sized locker room)?
Only one of the plot points didnt wrap up in a satisfactory manner the two African Dance attendees that got picked on in the locker room every day have no resolution. However, thats pretty true to life. Theres some things that just are the way they are in high school.
Recommended for readers aged 12 and up, especially girls looking for some insights into that peculiar thing we call the male psyche.
User reviews
5 reviews
Overall rating
4.6
Plot
4.6(5)
Characters
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Writing Style
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
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short n' sweet
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
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Characters
N/A
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
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Reader reviewed by Lucy
Fly on the Wall is a hilarious book about Gretchen Yee, an outcast at the Manhattan High School for the arts. One day she wakes up and finds out that her wish to become a fly in the boys locker room has unexpectedly been fulfilled. Gretchen uses the opportunity to find out everything shes ever wanted to know about the boys at her school: what they talk about, how they behave when theyre not around girls, and lots of other stuff including the examination of their body parts.
This book was short but sweet. The plot was nothing exceptional and pretty uneventful; it mostly lived off of humor. However, it was still very entertaining and I recommend it to anyone whos looking for a quick and funny read.
Fly on the Wall is a hilarious book about Gretchen Yee, an outcast at the Manhattan High School for the arts. One day she wakes up and finds out that her wish to become a fly in the boys locker room has unexpectedly been fulfilled. Gretchen uses the opportunity to find out everything shes ever wanted to know about the boys at her school: what they talk about, how they behave when theyre not around girls, and lots of other stuff including the examination of their body parts.
This book was short but sweet. The plot was nothing exceptional and pretty uneventful; it mostly lived off of humor. However, it was still very entertaining and I recommend it to anyone whos looking for a quick and funny read.
G
Guest
#1 Reviewer
fly-tastic!
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
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Characters
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Writing Style
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Amanda Marasco
Gretchen Yee has only had one real relationship and that was with Shane who was new to the school at the time. So it's easy to understand that Gretchen has NO idea what guys talk about. Of course that leads her to wish that she was a fly on the wall in the boys locker room. There Gretchen does figure it out, well at least some of it.
WOW. I loved reading this book so much. It was soooo funny! It was great being able to read what Gretchen was thinking. The language used in this book was fun to read. Overall i have no complaints except that the book was too short.
You seriously need to run to your book store right now and buy this book. Read it right away!
Gretchen Yee has only had one real relationship and that was with Shane who was new to the school at the time. So it's easy to understand that Gretchen has NO idea what guys talk about. Of course that leads her to wish that she was a fly on the wall in the boys locker room. There Gretchen does figure it out, well at least some of it.
WOW. I loved reading this book so much. It was soooo funny! It was great being able to read what Gretchen was thinking. The language used in this book was fun to read. Overall i have no complaints except that the book was too short.
You seriously need to run to your book store right now and buy this book. Read it right away!
G
Guest
#1 Reviewer
A Short but Witty Story
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
N/A
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Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
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Reader reviewed by the book muncher
Nonconformity is rule at the Manhattan High School for the Arts, better known as Ma-Ha, but Gretchen Yee doesnt fit in (even with her fire engine red hair) shes only ordinary. Shes got one best friend names Katya, a secret crush on Titus, a whole bunch of junk in her room (though she wouldnt call it that), and a love for drawing cartoon-style. But with one ill-made wish, Gretchen has a lot more to worry about than her parents divorce: shes somehow been transformed into a housefly in the boys locker room, of all places. While Gretchens trapped there, she learns all sorts of nifty facts about the male anatomy as well as what lies behind their physical appearances.
Fly on the Wall was truly an enjoyable book for me to read. Gretchens character is very real; she deals with problems girls go through every day (except when shes a fly of course!) such a boy and friendship troubles. It also helps that Gretchens reactions to the world around her and her experiences as a fly were hilarious. Lockhart has a way of slipping significant messages into her writing while making the story witty and fun to read, and Fly on the Wall is no different.
While I did not like Fly on the Wall as much as I liked her more recent novel, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, I did enjoy the story nonetheless. I recommend this book if you are looking for something short and sweet.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
Nonconformity is rule at the Manhattan High School for the Arts, better known as Ma-Ha, but Gretchen Yee doesnt fit in (even with her fire engine red hair) shes only ordinary. Shes got one best friend names Katya, a secret crush on Titus, a whole bunch of junk in her room (though she wouldnt call it that), and a love for drawing cartoon-style. But with one ill-made wish, Gretchen has a lot more to worry about than her parents divorce: shes somehow been transformed into a housefly in the boys locker room, of all places. While Gretchens trapped there, she learns all sorts of nifty facts about the male anatomy as well as what lies behind their physical appearances.
Fly on the Wall was truly an enjoyable book for me to read. Gretchens character is very real; she deals with problems girls go through every day (except when shes a fly of course!) such a boy and friendship troubles. It also helps that Gretchens reactions to the world around her and her experiences as a fly were hilarious. Lockhart has a way of slipping significant messages into her writing while making the story witty and fun to read, and Fly on the Wall is no different.
While I did not like Fly on the Wall as much as I liked her more recent novel, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, I did enjoy the story nonetheless. I recommend this book if you are looking for something short and sweet.
reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com
G
Guest
#1 Reviewer
Funny, Honest, and Smart--This Book Packs Quite A Punch!
Overall rating
5.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by jocelyn
Well, if youve read her stuff, you know E. Lockhart is pretty brilliant, and she certainly shows it again in this novel! She really understands people, that much is obvious, and has a real talent for creating three-dimensional characters with distinct voices. She does it again in Gretchen Yee, a girl who feels ordinary at an arts high school where the norm is to try as hard as possible to be different.
When Gretchen wishes she could understand boys better by becoming a fly on the wall in the boys locker room, she has no idea her wish is about to come true, but it does! How is never explained, but somehow Gretchen ends up able to see and hear everything that goes on in that mysterious place (but she has to do so as a fly¬ a body you want to be trapped in). She learns about the boys of The Manhattan School For Art And Musictheir secrets, their real personalities, their (ahem) anatomy.
E. Lockhart is amazing. Her writing style is just fantastic, and she does such a great job of creating this funny, honest story from the point of view of an awesome character. Even though its a rather short book, FLY ON THE WALL packs quite a punch.
Reposted from http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com
Well, if youve read her stuff, you know E. Lockhart is pretty brilliant, and she certainly shows it again in this novel! She really understands people, that much is obvious, and has a real talent for creating three-dimensional characters with distinct voices. She does it again in Gretchen Yee, a girl who feels ordinary at an arts high school where the norm is to try as hard as possible to be different.
When Gretchen wishes she could understand boys better by becoming a fly on the wall in the boys locker room, she has no idea her wish is about to come true, but it does! How is never explained, but somehow Gretchen ends up able to see and hear everything that goes on in that mysterious place (but she has to do so as a fly¬ a body you want to be trapped in). She learns about the boys of The Manhattan School For Art And Musictheir secrets, their real personalities, their (ahem) anatomy.
E. Lockhart is amazing. Her writing style is just fantastic, and she does such a great job of creating this funny, honest story from the point of view of an awesome character. Even though its a rather short book, FLY ON THE WALL packs quite a punch.
Reposted from http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com
G
Guest
#1 Reviewer
Funny!
Overall rating
4.0
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
Reader reviewed by Wiesteria
Gretchen Yee is an outsider at the Manhattan School for Art and Music, where individualism was golden and it was normal to dress and act in your own unique, crazy style. Compared to the other students, Gretchen was just...normal, a no-no at Ma-Ha. Worse, her parents were getting divorced, her best (and only!) friend Katya never seems to be around, she's failing Art because the teacher doesn't like how she draws, and she has a major crush on Titus, but doesn't have the guts to do anything about it. Gretchen absentmindedly wishes to be a fly on the wall of the boys locker room. The next morning, her wish came true and, in addition to a whole lot of booties and gherkins, she saw a side of boys that she never knew existed. Gretchen realizes that the male side of the species have feelings and insecurities like any other person.
E. Lockhart's FLY ON THE WALL is hilarious, yet surprisingly astute. I really liked Gretchen's character and wit and the storyline in general was interesting and enjoyable. This is a great book for anyone who wants a good laugh.
Gretchen Yee is an outsider at the Manhattan School for Art and Music, where individualism was golden and it was normal to dress and act in your own unique, crazy style. Compared to the other students, Gretchen was just...normal, a no-no at Ma-Ha. Worse, her parents were getting divorced, her best (and only!) friend Katya never seems to be around, she's failing Art because the teacher doesn't like how she draws, and she has a major crush on Titus, but doesn't have the guts to do anything about it. Gretchen absentmindedly wishes to be a fly on the wall of the boys locker room. The next morning, her wish came true and, in addition to a whole lot of booties and gherkins, she saw a side of boys that she never knew existed. Gretchen realizes that the male side of the species have feelings and insecurities like any other person.
E. Lockhart's FLY ON THE WALL is hilarious, yet surprisingly astute. I really liked Gretchen's character and wit and the storyline in general was interesting and enjoyable. This is a great book for anyone who wants a good laugh.
G
Guest
#1 Reviewer
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