Fly on the Wall (E. Lockhart)

Haven’t we all said “I wish I could be a fly on the wall …” For Gretchen Yee; these were more than just words. They became reality. Gretchen attends the Manhattan High School for the Arts, otherwise known as Ma-Ha, in New York City, where all the students are “different” and “special.”

Gretchen feels she just doesn’t fit into these categories. She sits alone at lunch drawing pictures of Spider-Man so she can avoid talking with anyone else. She has a crush on Titus and only has one real friend, Katya.

Boys just don’t make any sense. What do they really talk about? What are they like behind closed doors? Are they just as disgusting as in class or is there more to them? If she could be a fly on the wall of the boys’ locker room, she could probably learn a lot about these vermin.

Gretchen’s parents are going through tough times and are most likely going to end up divorced. This particular week, her mother is off on vacation with a girlfriend and her dad is in China on business. All alone in her apartment Friday night, Gretchen eats dinner alone and reads a little of her school book, THE METAMORPHOSIS by Frank Kafka and finally falls asleep. The next morning she awakens to the strange sensation of having multiple legs and even wings on her back! How can this be? And how did she end up in the boy’s locker room? Not to mention, that the boys locker room is twice the size of the girls’ and even has big lockers to store their belongings. So unfair!

It sure is an eye-opener, especially with all those multiple bug eyes. Gretchen sees a lot more that than boys horsing around and talking about girls. She gets the bare-naked truth! She also learns that her BFF Katya has a boyfriend, how her crush really feels about her and even who are the school bullies.

A week later when Gretchen finally returns to her old self, she realizes that seeing life through someone (or something’s) eyes can put a whole new perspective on life and what really matters.

Recommended for 14+

SLB