Isabelle's Boyfriend
by Caroline Hickey

    ISABELLE'S BOYFRIEND by Caroline Hickey
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  9/2/08
    Publisher:  Roaring Brook Press
    Reviewed by:  Jaglvr
    Rating:  4 Stars


    Taryn Greenleaf just wants to change into warmer clothing before walking their dog, Camille, after school.  But
    Camille is impatient, so Taryn, dressed in her school uniform, heads out for their daily walk.  It’s snowing and it’s
    cold.  During the walk, Taryn stops to let snowflakes fall on her tongue.  She glances up and encounters an absolutely
    gorgeous guy walking towards her.  And he stops!!  And of all things for this boy to talk about, it’s Camille.  

    He introduces himself as John “Epp” Epplin.  Taryn’s never seen him around before, and she soon learns the harsh
    truth.  He’s in the area to take care of his girlfriend’s dog while her family is off skiing.  And his girlfriend is none other
    than Isabelle Graham from school.  Isabelle is everything Taryn isn’t, and thus goes all of Taryn’s hopes of anything
    happening with Epp.

    Taryn tells her friend, Lila, all about meeting Epp.  He’s everything that Taryn’s ever wanted.  Lila doesn’t think a little
    thing like Isabelle being his girlfriend should deter Taryn.  So the two of them start to brainstorm on ways for Taryn to
    run into Epp again.  Since he goes to St. Ivan’s, the boy’s school, it’s not like they will see each other in the hallways.  
    They stumble across his name on the driver’s education class sign in sheet, and things start to look up.

    But then Isabelle returns home.  Isabelle and Taryn aren’t NOT friends, but they haven’t hung out together since they
    were much younger.  When Isabelle finds out Taryn has met Epp, all of a sudden, Isabelle is talking to Taryn and
    inviting her to hang out with them.  Lila warns Taryn to be careful, and watches as Taryn does things to hurt their
    friendship.

    When Isabelle and Epp set Taryn up with their friend Pete, things get even more complicated.  Taryn realizes she’s
    using Pete to get what she wants, but she can’t seem to stop the snowball effect of her actions.

    Ms. Hickey slowly builds the story to the point where the reader knows something is going to happen.  And usually, in
    most cases, that something generally is bad.  It takes a revelation from the most unlikely source to bring everything to
    a head and make Taryn realize how awful she’s been behaving.