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Out of the Mouths of Babe (Magnets)

by Jill Jordan

Move over, Mystery-there's a new pickup artist on the playground

-Judy McGuire, BettyConfidential.com

Most 9-year-old boys still think girls have cooties, but not Alec Greven. This third-grader not only likes the ladies, he's written a book, How to Talk to Girls, to show other shy guys that they too can talk to girls. Originally published as a $5 pamphlet as part of a school project, local Colorado media picked up on the tome and the resulting publicity has garnered Greven not only a four-book deal (!!!), but his agent just sold the film rights to Fox!

Unlike Neil Strauss' best-selling guide to picking up women, The Game, Greven discourages men from insulting women they're interested in dating. Strauss calls these put-downs, "negging," claiming that far from being insulted, women are intrigued when a man mocks and belittles them. Perhaps you've even seen these techniques demonstrated on VH1's The Pick-Up Artist.

Alec Greven begs to differ. He advises gentlemen to offer up a simple "hi" when they meet a girl they want to get to know better. "If I say hi and you say hi back, we're probably off to a good start," he told the New York Post in a recent interview.

Not to say that young Alec is unschooled in the ways of heartache. "The best choice for most boys is a regular girl. Remember, some pretty girls are coldhearted when it comes to boys. Don't let them get to you," he writes. Wise beyond his years, he counsels, "Pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil."

One can only hope the pretty girl who broke young Alec's heart is facing a lot of detention.