Girl Wonder Scene/Excerpt
Today's stop on the Girl Wonder book tour is a scene from the book provide by Alexa Martin the author. We are set to post the review on May 6th, so stay tuned for that.
Scene from Girl Wonder
Walking out to the garage to get an overnight bagto take to Amanda’s, I found Milton Zacharias sitting on the floor cutting uppictures of weird-looking mushrooms.
“You’re doing James Henry’s homework?” I said. “Ihope he paid you. Actually—you probably had to pay him. My brother LOVEShomework.”
“I’m helping him with his science fair project,”Milton said. “Your brother is amazing. He did all the graphs and charts. He’skind of a genius, isn’t he?”
“Yes. He is. I’m surrounded by brainiacs.”
He held up two cutouts, trying to decide between amushroom that looked like a brain on a neck and a stark white mushroom almostbridal in its appearance, its stalk sheathed by a delicate garter. He frowned.“There’s not room for both of them on the poster.”
“No contest,” I said, nodding at the whitemushroom. “That one. It’s beautiful.”
“AmanitaVirosa,” he said. “Its common name is the destroying angel. It’s the mostdeadly mushroom in all the world.” He handed me the other cutout. “Morchella Esculenta,” he said. “People all over the world pay goodmoney to eat morels.”
“I’d gag. That thing is nasty looking.”
He studied me a moment. “I think I’ve just learnedyour fatal flaw.”
“What? That I don’t like mushrooms?”
He laughed. “This project is actually a study onhuman behavior. You just told me a lot about yourself. Beauty matters more toyou than substance.”
I yanked the overnight bag out of a corner. “You’rekind of rude.”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…” He stood up. “Stickaround. We’re making scrambled eggs and morels. You’ll love them.”
“Truly tempting,” I said sarcastically. “But Ihave a better offer and I hate eggs.”
Our eyes locked for a moment. Milton stared at me,not laughing this time. “Plain-looking mushrooms can be just as poisonous asthe pretty ones,” he finally said.
“I like avocados,” I said, to break the strangetension between us. “They’re ugly.”
“I don’t like avocados,” he said. “But not becausethey’re ugly.” He didn’t elaborate.
A horn honked. I opened the garage. “My friend ishere.”
Wearing oversized sunglasses and a scarf over herhead, Amanda looked glorious in the front seat of a cherry red jeepwrangler. This was the first time I’d seen her car.
“That girl,” Milton said. “I know her. She gotkicked out of my school. What’s she doing here?” Understanding dawned on himand he stared at me. “Wait—that’s your better offer?”
“She’s my friend,” I said proudly.
“If you say so.” He gave me this strange pityinglook.
He’s justjealous, I told myself.
Pages: 304 pgs
Reading Level: YA
Release Date: May 3rd 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Summary: (from goodreads) As if transferring senior year weren't hard enough, Charlotte Locke has been bumped to lower level classes at her new school. With no friends, a terrible math SAT score, and looming college application deadlines, the future is starting to seem like an oncoming train for which she has no ticket.
Then Amanda enters her orbit like a hot-pink meteor, offering Charlotte a ticket to something else: popularity. Amanda is fearless, beautiful, brilliant, and rich. As her new side kick, Charlotte is brought into the elite clique of the debate team—and closer to Neal, Amanda's equally brilliant friend and the most perfect boy Charlotte has ever seen.
But just when senior year is looking up, Charlotte’s life starts to crumble. The more things heat up between Charlotte and Neal, the more Neal wants to hide their relationship. Is he ashamed? Meanwhile, Amanda is starting to act strangely competitive, and she's keeping a secret Charlotte doesn't want to know.
Talented newcomer Alexa Martin delivers a poignant story of first love, jealousy and friendship, where the ups and downs of senior year have never been so complicated. What else can Charlotte do but throw her hands up and ride?
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