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Little ladies� man pens dating primer
9-year-old Alec Greven advises boys of all ages how to get the right
girl
	

By Vidya Rao
TODAY staff
updated 7:35 a.m. CT, Thurs., Dec. 4, 2008

Alec Greven, a fourth-grader at at Soaring Hawk Elementary School in
Castle Rock, Colo., began writing the book "How to Talk to Girls" �
about the dos and don'ts of dating � when he was 8 years old. The book
came out of a school writing assignment, and he so impressed his
teacher and principal that the book was sold for $3 at the school book
fair and became the fair's top seller. The book eventually made its
way into the hands of a publisher, and Alec has since been doling out
advice to boys of all ages all over the country. He spoke to
TODAYshow.com about what inspired him to write this book, why boys
should stay away from "pretty girls" and what the future holds for him
as a dating expert.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: I saw boys around the playground having trouble getting girls �
just not knowing what to say. I wanted to write a book that could help
them.
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Q: How did you become such a "dating expert" so young?

A: Let's say a boy was gonna try go say "Hi" to a girl he likes, I
would stand nearby and peek and listen in. If a problem happened
twice, I put it in my book. If something worked a few times, I put it
in my book, too. I did research around the playground. I got
interested in the topic because there's a lot to learn about girls.

Q: In the book you write that "A crush is like a love disease. It can
drive you mad." Did this happen to you?

A: Not really, because I don't really get crushes that much. But I've
seen it. It can drive you mad because if a girl ditches you, you could
get so depressed. Your grades drop � bad things happen.

Q: You say that boys should be careful around pretty girls. What do
you have against pretty girls?

A: Well, pretty girls � all they care about is their looks. She
doesn't care about a boy liking her, or how a boy feels about her.
It's just, "Oh, do I look nice?" Regular girls can be pretty, too.
Plus, a regular girl has other things on her mind and is fun to be
around.

Q: What's the best way to talk to a girl?

A: You want to walk up casually � you can't look shy or nervous, like
you're doing something really important. Just say "Hi." If she says
"Hi" back, you're off to a good start. What you want to do is let the
girl do most of the talking, start off asking about stuff she likes to
do and then let her talk. If you mess up, it's not good. If the girl
messes up, it's OK.

Q: Do people come to you with their dating problems now?

A: Some people ask questions but � well, it's kind of like repeating
the same things � "I have a girl, where should I take her on a date?"
Things kind of like that that people want to know.

Q: How do adults react to the book?

A: Some adults, women, told me they buy it for husbands as a joke to
say, "See, you should do this." It makes me laugh because it's funny
that they say that to their husbands.

Q: What's the most attractive quality about a girl?

A: I don't really know � just because they're girls.

Q: Are you dating anyone now?

A: No. Not yet, because I just haven't found the right girl yet.

Q: What do you like most about being on a book tour?

A: I like going everywhere, traveling places. I also like being
interviewed because everybody has been so nice.

Q: Do you plan to write more about dating?

A: I might be writing "How to Talk to Girls II" for middle schoolers,
then part three as a guide for high schoolers, and then [parts] four,
five and six for college and after that. I'll write them when I get to
each age � I don't think I could get past security guards at a high
school right now to do research �cause I look too young.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/28038281/?GT1=43001