Reality Boy, A.S.King

Title: Reality Boy
Author: A.S.King
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Year: 2013
Pages: 353
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Mental Health, Media, First Love
Age Range: 8th Grade and Above

Summary:
Gerald Faust was five years old when his family appeared on the Network Nanny show. Ever since, he's been living under the shadow of his outrageous behavior, which helped him earn the nickname "The Crapper". Despite the nanny's intervention, by the time Gerald is 15 his family is in shambles, and he is carrying around more anger than is healthy. His oldest sister has moved back into the house, bringing with her a dangerous attitude and a rat-faced boyfriend. His middle sister has gone away to school, leaving him alone to deal with his mother's emotional neglect, his father's drinking, and his other sister's murderous rampages. He deals with his pain and anger by creating a fantasy world in his head, where he can disappear for hours at a time. When he meets Hannah, however, a girl who's just as desperate to escape her world as he is his, his defense start to crumble, and he finds he must deal with the demons, literal and figurative, that have been plaguing him for almost twelve years.

Review:

"Dear Children Featured on Supernanny,

I apologize."

That was my overwhelming feeling upon reading Reality Boy. I am (now) ashamed to say that I eagerly awaited every episode of Supernanny. There was something wholly satisfying about watching Nanny Jo talk tough to parents and kids about their behavior. Frankly, it was more satisfying for me to watch her have "come to Jesus" meetings with the parents than anything that happened with the children. As a school teacher, I think it was a little bit of wish fulfillment on my part; Nanny Jo could say things to parents about setting boundaries and promoting responsible behavior in their children hat I could never in a million years get away with.

But the sad fact is, these were real families with real children who had no say over whether their misbehavior was going to be broadcast on national television. And it never occurred to me, not once, that this could be more damaging to them than their parents' less-than-stellar parenting skills. Hence the apology above. While Gerald's situation is clearly an extreme form of what the families on this popular nanny shows went through, it does raise an ethical dilemma about exploiting children for entertainment.

You feel sorry for Gerald right from the start. It is obvious that he is in tremendous emotional pain, with only two respites from the real world. He has developed a rich internal life, a place that he can escape to filled with all of the elements of what a happy childhood is. Disney characters and ice cream and playing on the swings with the sister who isn't a psychopath. The other place is the special education classroom his mother somehow convinced the school he should be in; a place where no one judges him for his five-year-old behavior. But when Gerald meets Hannah, his inner world starts to fall apart, and being in his SPED class starts to feel like hiding instead of living.

I love the irony of the title. Gerald's life was defined by reality TV, which never actually showed reality, and his life is now defined by a fantasy world he has created that allows him to escape reality. I also love that Hannah, while she forces Gerald to make some changes for the better, doesn't "fix" him. She's got troubles of her own, and their relationship is not all sunshine and roses. It's a story of two broken people, each with their own emotional issues, supporting each other. They don't always make the right decisions, but each of them is trying in their own way to find the home they've always wanted, in each other.

One, Sarah Crossan

Title: One
Author: Sarah Crossan
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Year: 2015
Pages: 400
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Identity, First Love, Sisterhood, Coming of Age
Age Range: 7th Grade and Above

Summary:
Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, attached at the waist. Defying the odds, they have made it to their teenage years mostly healthy and pretty happy. After being homeschooled their entire lives, Tippi and Grace transition to a traditional high school. Despite the curious looks and unkind words from many of the students, they manage to find Yasmeen and Jon, who quickly become their first and best friends. But their world is turned upside down when their mother loses her job, and suddenly they are struggling to pay for the girls' expensive medical care. And then a health crisis forces them to make the decision they've been avoiding their while life-whether to undergo separation surgery.

Review:
I really enjoyed this novel, told in a loose free verse. Grace is the narrator, which I thought was an interesting choice. This story certainly lends itself to alternating perspectives, but I think that Crossan made a good decision to focus only on one of the twins. This allowed her to show how Grace developed her sense of self and identity, both because of and in spite of her sister. Adolescence is a turbulent time for most of us, but having to manage hormones and crushes and the need for space while simultaneously being literally attached to another person heightened the angst and emotional impact.

To be honest, while I know that novel told in verse are a thing right now, that would be my only real criticism of this book. Not because I don't like novels in verse-I do. But for this story it felt unnecesary. When I think of novels in verse, I think of powerful poetry from authors like Jacqueline Woodson (Brown Girl Dreaming) or Thanhha Lai (Inside Out and Back Again), where the format adds to the beauty and impact of the language. I'm not sure the use of poetry in the case of One actually added much to the story, and it occasionally felt a little choppy. However, the story on its own is engaging enough that the format is really only a minor criticism. I think that reluctant readers, even boys, would find a story about conjoined twins interesting enough to give it a chance, though I suspect some male readers may find it girly. Given the subject matter, there are surely paired informational readings that could be found to make it part of a larger unit of study, but if nothing else it would make a good addition to any classroom library.

Teacher Resources
Bloomsbury Kids Reading Guide
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Teaching Sequence

I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson

Title: I'll Give You the Sun
Author: Jandy Nelson
Publisher: Dial Books
Year: 2014
Pages: 371
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: LGBTQ+, First Love, Art, Sibling Rivalry
Age Range: 8th Grade and Up

Summary:

Jude and Noah are twins. They have always been close, like two sides of the same coin. Noah is shy and isolated, spending all of his time drawing and dreaming of life as an artist. Jude, the outgoing daredevil, is equally protective of and a little frustrated by her gentle brother. Part of this story is told from the 13 year old Noah's perspective, the other part from the 16 year old Jude's. By the time Jude is telling her part of the story, the twins' family has been torn apart, and Noah and Jude are both struggling to survive some both the death of their mother, and personal tragedies that neither will share, driving them farther and farther apart. Can they ever find a way to bring their stories back together?

Review:

In preparation for my new job as a high school literacy coach, I have been spending a lot of time reading YA literature this summer. I have read some fabulous books, and some not so fabulous-everything from gritty realistic fiction about growing up black in America to fantasy novels dripping with magic and folklore. But I think I'll Give You the Sun takes the prize for best-written, most creative YA novel I've read in 2016.

Both Noah and Jude are fully drawn, fully realized characters, with rich inner lives that are the driving force behind the action of the story. My heart ached for both of them at different points in the narrative. They were both dealing with circumstances that were not of their making, though often their own choices contributed to the drama they were wrestling with. Noah's feelings for the boy next door were achingly tender and raw. Jude's desire to break away from her parents and blaze her own path are so familiar. Both of them find themselves in vulnerable situations, and while Noah loses his art in the process, Jude finds hers. There is a strange push-and-pull between them, with one gaining strength while the others weakens. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and I could not stop reading.

Art and artists are central to this story. It ends up exploring the very nature of art. What is it for? Is it worth making? What happens when you lose it? What are you willing to give up to make it? I realize that art classes don't generally do novel studies, but I couldn't help but think that high school art students, ones who are really serious about their art, would find a lot to relate to in this book.

There are some adult themes here that would be lost on less mature readers. Sexual assault, extramarital affairs, and parental death are all major plotlines. But they are handled with skill by an author who is not looking to sensationalize, but to create a world for her characters that the reader can empathize with. I think this book is an excellent addition to any high school library or literature class.

Teacher Resources:

Jandy Nelson's Website
Penguin Discussion Guide
The Nudge Discussion Questions
Lit Lovers Reading Guide

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan

The Crossover, Kwame Alexander

Title: The Crossover
Author: Kwame Alexander
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Year: 2014
Pages: 237
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse
Themes: Sports, Family, Growing Up, First Love, Dealing with Loss
Age Range: 3rd-8th Grade

Summary: from Booklist (mostly)

The Bell twins are stars on the basketball court and comrades in life. While there are some differences—Josh shaves his head and Jordan loves his locks—both twins adhere to the Bell basketball rules: In this game of life, your family is the court, and the ball is your heart. With a former professional basketball player dad and an assistant principal mom, there is an intensely strong home front supporting sports and education in equal measures. When life intervenes in the form of a hot new girl, the balance shifts and growing apart proves painful.

When their father dies unexpectedly towards the end of the book, Jordan and Josh are forced to examine their relationship, and realize that while they may have their differences, nothing more important than family.

Review:
Novels written in verse are big right now. I have a good friend who thinks that they are the kind of books that teachers like but don't really appeal to students. I suppose, depending on the book, that may be true. Books like Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes may appeal to a more mature reader, and may not have the widespread appeal of a graphic novel like Raina Telgemeier's Smile or genre mash-ups like Big Nate or Captain Underpants. But I think that any reader will enjoy The Crossover. Mature readers will find the format appealing, less able readers will be sucked in by the subject matter, and reluctant readers won't be scared away by the amount of print on a page. Just an importantly, the style and subject matter should appeal to Africa American students, who don't often find their lives and culture represented in children's literature.

The style is not a gimmick. The book reads like a rap song, which in less deft hands could distract from the emotional impact of the story. But this book is full of heart, and it gave me one of my biggest cries of the reading year. Josh and Jordan as character ring entirely true-I have nephews that are just like them in many ways. Their relationship with their father, and ultimately with each other, reveal deeper truths about love and family, and the tumultuous time in life when children start to separate their identity from that of their parents. The books reads very much like a traditional coming of age story, focusing in social relationships and first romances, until tragedy strikes Jordan and Josh's family. Sparking conversation about the themes and structures of this books should be easy, making it perfect for use in guided reading, book clubs, or literature circles. The Crossover definitely deserves the the medals it received as the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winner for 2015.

Zen and the Art of Faking It, by Jordan Sonnenblick

Title:  Zen and the Art of Faking It
Author:  Jordan Sonnenblick
Publisher:  Scholastic
Year:  2007
Pages:  264
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Themes:  Friendship, Family, First Love, Identity
Age Range:  5th Grade and Up

Summary:  from Goodreads

When eighth-grader San Lee moves to a new town and a new school for the umpteenth time, he doesn't try to make new friends or be a loner or play cool. Instead he sits back and devises a plan to be totally different. When he accidentally answers too many questions in World History on Zen (only because he just had Ancient Religions two schools ago) all heads turn and San has his answer: he's a Zen Master. And just when he thinks everyone (including the cute girl he can't stop thinking about) is on to him, everyone believes him . . . in a major Zen way.

Review:
I saw Jordan Sonnenblick speak at the Illinois Reading Council Conference this past March, and since then I have been on a mission to read all of his novels.  I had read After Ever After a couple of years ago, and I found it humorous and moving in a way that I don't always expect books about middle school age boys to be.  Sonnenblick, a former middle school English teacher, seems able to perfectly capture the angst, confusion, and general awkwardness of kids at the cusp of adolescence.

There are two things that I really love about this particular book.  The first is the fact that he uses the Zen philosophy as a framework for the events that take place.  While no one in the novel is actually practicing Zen Buddhism in any real way, kids who read it will get a glimpse of a religious cultural tradition that may be completely new to them.  Learning something new in the context of a really good story is never a bad thing.  The other thing that I really like about this book is the way that it looks at issues of family and identity.  San is Chinese, adopted by a white America family as an infant.  Raised by a con man and his hard working mother, who is apparently blinded by love to her husband's faults, San is basically taught that people are gullible rubes who can be manipulated to get you what you want.  When his father is arrested and imprisoned, San must question everything he's been taught about how the world works, and he completely rejects his father, refusing to talk to him.  But he finds himself acting like him, lying to people he cares about in an effort to reinvent himself, and keep people from knowing about his family's past.  Eventually San has to choose between being honest and jeopardizing his budding romance, or living a lie, just as his father did.  This struggle provides rich fodder for conversations about identity, how much our family affects who we are and who we become, and healthy relationships.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Saenz

Title:  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author:  Benjamin Alire Saenz
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Year:  2012
Pages:  359
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Themes:  LGBT, First Love, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship
Age Range:  8th Grade and Up

Summary:
Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz was a Stonewall winner for 2013, and within a month of the announcement I had seen it referenced, or had it recommended to me, at least a dozen times. And it deserves the praise!  It tells the story of 15 year old Ari, a loner living in a Mexican neighborhood of El Paso, and Dante, the quirky, outgoing young man who becomes his first true friend.  Both Ari and Dante are dealing with the usual host of adolescent issues-redefining your relationships with your parents and family, navigating the treacherous waters of the high-school social strata, transitioning to adulthood, and, of course, dating and first loves.  With Dante, Ari finds an unexpected friend; effusive where he is reticent, affectionate where he is reserved, outgoing where he is taciturn.  For some reason, this friendship works for both of them, and the boys share many secrets with each other over the course of their friendship.  Ari finally has someone to talk to about the brother in prison that his parents won't even acknowledge exists, and Dante finally has someone to whom he can admit that he would rather kiss boys than girls.  Ari's feelings about Dante are confusing and unsettling, and their friendship is not always smooth sailing, but in the end both boys find comfort, a deep kindness, and love.

Review:
One of the wonderful things about this book is that while it has strong LGBT themes, it is not just a "gay" story.  Like any "real" person, Ari and Dante are both more than just their sexual orientation, and Saenz does an excellent job of showing the intersection of things family connections, ethnic identity, and sexual orientation in creating identity.  To be honest, while I was certainly drawn into the story of Ari and Dante's friendship, the part of the story that was the most touching to me was Ari's relationship with his father, a Viet Nam veteran who never left the war behind.  Their interactions, and Ari's longing for meaningful interactions with his distant father, are a large part of the emotional engine that drove this story.  Saenz also takes on the issue of gay bashing, which despite the improvement of the general climate for LGBT people in our country is still too often occurring.  The fact that the novel is set in the late 80s, when I myself was about the age of Ari and Dante, gave it a certain resonance for me that a young adult reader wouldn't have, but Saenz did a good job creating an authentic setting that any reader should be able to appreciate.

Smile, by Raina Telgemeier

Title:  Smile,
Author:  Raina Telgemeier
Publisher:  Graphix
Year:  2009
Pages:  224
Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel
Themes:  Coming of Age, First Love, Friendship
Age Range:  6th-10th Grade

Summary:  (From Goodreads)

Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

Review:
 While I've never been a huge fan of graphic novels for my own adult reading, I understand completely their popularity, especially with younger readers.  Connecting strong illustrations with a well-written story is sure to be engaging for readers who are transitioning from picture books to chapter books, and the number and quality of graphic novels for young readers is increasing.  Traditionally looked down upon as frivolous, the rich story telling present in modern day graphic novels-both for children and adults-is revitalizing the genre and allowing stories to be told in new and different ways.

Telgemeier's books, Smile and Drama, are not what people generally think about when they hear the term graphic novel.  The genre, popularized by horror or science fiction authors such as Neil Gaiman (The Sandman), Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (The Watchmen) and Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), is often seen as a way to tell fantastical stories of monsters and heroes.  But Telgemeier's books tell ordinary stories-stories of friendship and love and adolescence, but in a format that appeals to readers who like a side of good art with their storytelling.  Smile is the story of one girl's transition from awkward, brace-faced tween to confident, self-assured teenager.  The story (based on Raina's actual childhood) is literally framed by the many things that happened to Raina's teeth, but the feelings she has and the realizations she comes to are universal for American adolescents.  I think that girls especially will identify with the story, which in itself is unusual in the graphic novel biz, which is much more geared towards male readers.  But I think that all kids, regardless of gender, will appreciate Telgemeier's wit and insight into that most painful, embarrassing time of life-middle school!

Teacher Resources:
Scholastic Lesson Plan
Raina Telgemeier's Website
Graphic Classroom Review

Smiles to Go, by Jerry Spinelli

Title:  Smiles to Go
Author:  Jerry Spinelli
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Year:  2009
Pages:  272
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Themes:  Friendship, First Love, Family
Age Range:  4th-7th Grade


Summary:
Will Tuppence likes things orderly, planned out, and unchanging.  The high school freshman and future astronomer has lived most of his life with one comforting fact at its foundation-protons never die.  And because protons can never be destroyed, then regardless of what happens to him as his body changes and eventually dies, some part of him will continue to exist.  But then the unthinkable happens-on Sept. 26 at 10:15 AM he learns that scientists have finally recorded the tell-tale flash that signals the death of a proton.  Suddenly, everything that he thought he knew about the physical world is called into question.  And just as suddenly, his relationship with his best friends Mi-Su and BT, as well as his relationship with his little sister Tabby, begin to change as well.  Does Mi-Su like him like him?  Did he really catch her kissing BT?  Will BT ever make something of himself?  Will his little sister ever leave him alone?  As events spin out of Will's control, he is forced to come to terms with the fact that worrying about the eventual death of his protons is less important than worrying about his loved ones in the here and now.

Review:
Spinelli's books are always spot on when it comes to creating authentic adolescent characters, and Will Tuppence is no exception.  He's also pretty good at writing characters who are clueless about what is really important in life, and Will is certainly that.  Will's character reveals the contradiction that lies at the heart of most transitions, and especially the one from child to teen to adult; we want things to stay the same at the same time that we desperately want change.  Will was happy with his world just the way it was-except for his annoying little sister, of course.  He loved his friends, he enjoyed their Saturday night Monopoly routine, he frankly enjoyed feeling superior to his friend BT, who seemed like a soul doomed to wander lost with no real purpose in life.  But inevitably things started to change-he started having feelings for Mi-Su, and then started having jealousy towards BT when he caught the kissing under the stars.  He felt even more jealousy when BT skateboarded down Dead Man's Hill, the only person ever to do so.  And it seemed like no matter what he said or did, his little sister became more determined to torment him day and night.

When Tabby is seriously injured in an attempt to re-create BT's amazing ride down Dead Man's Hill, Will is forced to confront his own ideas about what it important.  To be perfectly honest, it forces him to stop thinking only of himself.  He spends most of the novel being pretty self-centered, thinking about everything that happens only as it relates to him.  It also forces him to accept the people he loves for who they are, instead of trying to force them into the mold he wants to make for them.

I am not in love with this book the way I was with Stargirl, but it is another solid performance from Spinelli, and would make a good addition to any classroom library.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

Title:  Divergent
Author:  Veronica Roth
Publisher:  Harper Collins
Year:  2011
Pages:  487
Genre:  Dystopian
Themes:  Identity, First Love, Coming of Age
Age Range:  7th Grade and Up

Summary:  (from Goodreads)
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.


Review:

This book was all over the place last year, and was voted the readers' favorite book on Goodreads in their Reader's Choice Awards.  It obviously has wide appeal to the same audience of YA readers that loved The Hunger Games, and they proved it by making it a huge bestseller.  I think that part of what took me so long to read it is that I am leery of clones...you know, like all of the vampire/werewolf/normal girl love stories that came out after Twilight hit it big.  But since everyone I know that's read it has raved about it, I made it the first book on my summer reading list.

And the praise they heap on it is well deserved.  It does not feel like nearly 500 pages, even as a young adult book.  The action is well-paced, and interspersed with enough of Tris's internal struggles to make it more than just an action book, but less than navel-gazing.   And what an interesting character Tris is.  While obviously the protagonist and a sympathetic character, I didn't always like her or approve of her choices.  I was turned off by the violence inherent in the Dauntless lifestyle, and how easily it sometimes was for her to use violence.  But I liked the book more for my ambivalence.  It made the story more thought-provoking.

Though really it didn't need much more than the basic premise to be more thought-provoking.  The idea of my city falling to pieces, the lake replaced by a giant dead marsh, with five different factions running the place gave me plenty to think about.  I think that this book would be an excellent choice for a teen book club.  I don't know that there is enough literary substance there to make it a teachable book for a whole class, but as a way to get reluctant teen readers to read and discuss what they are thinking it would be great.  What I think could produce the most discussion in a book club setting is the re-ordering of society.  I loved the fact that only the selfless could go into leadership and public service-makes what's happening in today's political culture seem small-minded.  And I imagine that a good discussion could also center around which faction the people in the group would choose.  I know what my answer is, and it is not Dauntless, that's for sure.  

Like most YA fiction, there is a love story.  What I appreciated about it was that it appeared to be an even partnership, with each person having power in the relationship and neither one having to change who they were to be together.  I also appreciated that it did not become the focus for the action of the story.  It was great that they fell in love, but it was not the main driver for why they did the things they did in trying to save their city.  It also did not completely conform to gender role stereotypes.  Tris, though diminutive in physical stature, was both strong and sometimes cold in her ability to do what needed to be done, which is often a masculine trait in media.  Tobias, while physically strong and skilled, was often shown as being emotionally vulnerable-a female trait, according to society.  


The ending was very up in the air, so don't expect a tidy conclusion.  But the second book in the series, Insurgent, came out May 1st, so if you are the kind of person who needs to know now, I suggest you buy both books together!

Anything But Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Title:  Anything But Typical
Author:  Nora Raleigh Baskin
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages:  208
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Themes:  Self-Acceptance, Friendship, Disabilities
Age Level:  4th through 7th Grade

Summary:
Jason Block is a boy with autism navigating the neurotypical world.  The book, told in a first person narrative from Jason, tells the story of Jason's atypical behaviors-such as hand flapping and hair pulling-and the very typical feelings of awkwardness, self-doubt, and fear that almost any 12 year old feels from time to time.  We discover that Jason is a creative writing whiz, and he begins an online correspondence with another author on his favorite writing website.  The girl, nicknamed Phoenixbird, loves Jason's stories, and frequently asks him for advice for her stories.  Jason feels like he may finally have his first real friend-until the possibility that they could meet in person derails his good feeling.  Can she like him if she sees how he really is?

Review:
Having worked with children with autism many times over the year, I can state that this narrative feels as authentic to me as anyone could write, given the fact that many people with autism have difficulty communicating at all, and especially in communicating their feelings.  Jason has a rich internal life, which he is frequently frustrated about not being able to express.  Like many young people with autism, Jason has learned and developed rules for himself to govern his social interactions,  but the tumultuous period of preadolescence leaves him unprepared for  the ways that he and his peers are changing.  

Baskin does an admirable job keeping this book from becoming another "heart-warming" story of overcoming disabilities.  Not that it doesn't have its tear-inducing moments, but unlike books I like to call the "Lifetime Movie" version of literature, there are no completely easy answers for Jason.  His mother has still not really come to terms with his disability, and she is alternately overly-protective and frustrated by his behaviors.  More than once I wanted to tell her to lay off-if Jason doesn't care that his belt is too tight why should she?  But I have worked with many parents over the years who have trouble finding a balance between accepting their child for who they are and helping them become more "typical".  When Jason finally meets Phoenixbird, it does not go as smoothly as Jason (and the reader) wish that it would.  But that is real life for many children with disabilities, and makes Baskin's story ring true.

Teacher Resources:
Simon and Schuster Reading Guide 
Nora Baskin's Website 
Autism Awareness Lesson Plans 

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

Title:  Shiver
Author:  Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher:  Scholastic
Year:2009
Pages:  400
Genre:  Paranormal Fantasy
Themes:  First Love, Werewolves, Family
Age Level:  9th Grade and Up


Summary (from School Library Journal): 
Grace, 17, loves the peace and tranquility of the woods behind her home. It is here during the cold winter months that she gets to see her wolf—the one with the yellow eyes. Grace is sure that he saved her from an attack by other wolves when she was nine. Over the ensuing years he has returned each season, watching her with those haunting eyes as if longing for something to happen. When a teen is killed by wolves, a hunting party decides to retaliate. Grace races through the woods and discovers a wounded boy shivering on her back porch. One look at his yellow eyes and she knows that this is her wolf in human form. Fate has finally brought Sam and Grace together, and as their love grows and intensifies, so does the reality of what awaits them. It is only a matter of time before the winter cold changes him back into a wolf, and this time he might stay that way forever.

Review:  
I will admit it-I got completely sucked into the whole Twilight phenomenon.  The writing is only mediocre, and I only really liked about half of the characters, but the story sucked me in and wouldn't let go until I had read every, single, solitary word.  (I even read The Host, which I actually thought was a better story, and  better written.) Once I awoke from my Twilight-induced haze, and started blogging, I realized how many Twilight clones there are out there.  Most of them didn't really interest me much, but the one that popped up over and over was Shiver. 

As paranormal romances go, this one is pretty good.  It is well written, with believable characters and dialogue.  The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Grace and Sam, which makes the plot structure a bit different than other novels written for teens.  Both of the main characters are well-developed, but even the minor characters feel fairly fleshed out.

What makes this book stand out for me in the genre, though, is that Grace is not an awkward, indecisive girl.  She is independent, sure of herself as much as a 17 year old can be, and shows a strength of conviction.  Sam, as the poetry-loving, damaged 18 year old is a bit more stereotypical in his post-modern, post-feminist masculinity, but his inherent honor and decency feel authentic.  I think that this book, while not worthy of direct teaching, would make a good addition to a classroom library or reader's workshop setting.

Totally Joe, James Howe

Title:  Totally Joe
Author:  James Howe
Publisher:  Antheum
Year:  2005
Pages:  208
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Themes:  Coming Out, Coming of Age, First Love
Age Level:  6th through 10th Grade


Summary: 
Joe Bunch is your average middle schooler.  What he really wants is to be popular, but he'll settle for being left alone.  Unfortunately for him, his rather flamboyant nature makes him the target of the school bully, Kevin.  Told as journal entries for the "alphabiography" his teacher assigned, we learn about all of Joe's ups and downs, from his first boyfriend to his distant relationship with his brother and his beloved Aunt Pam moving away.

Review: 
I don't usually read other people's reviews of a book before writing my own, but in looking for a summary of the ply of Totally Joe I came across two that made me shake my head.  Both mentioned how well-written the book was,  and how engaging the story was, and then went on to mention how unrealistic it is that a gay middle-schooler could be so comfortable with themselves, and that their family and friends could be so accepting.  It is such a sad testament to the fact that most people still see being gay and coming out as traumatic experiences filled with self-hatred, family denial, and rejection.  Believe it or not, there are families out there that are completely and unreservedly accepting of their gay children.  I know at least three such young people myself, who came out in middle school to their families and close friends and had nothing but positive, supporting experiences.  I love the fact that Howe does not make Joe's journey and coming out full of drama and conflict.  Why is it unrealistic to describe what a loving, accepting family structure looks like?  This book, a companion to The Misfits, does not have its power.  But Joe is an engaging, likeable character, and his story of self-acceptance and first love is sweet.


Teaching Resources:
Alphabiography Project

Boy Meets Boy, David Leviathan

 Title:  Boy Meets Boy
Author:  David Leviathan
Publisher:  Alfred A Knopf
Date:  2005
Pages:  195
Genre:  Realistic (?) Fiction
Age Level:  7th Grade and Up





I was a HUGE fan of The West Wing.  I thought the writing was smart, and the characters were interesting.  But most of all, I thought that Aaron Sorkin had created a fictional world that I actually wanted to live in.  For an hour each week, I could sit in my living room and pretend that Jed Bartlett was the president instead of that Republican from Texas.  I'm pretty sure I would even vote for Martin Sheen in real life-he and I agree more than we disagree when it comes to politics.  But I digress-the point was that I wanted to jump through the television and live in that America.

That's how I felt when I read Boy Meets Boy, by David Leviathan.  It is the story of Paul, a gay boy who was outed by his kindergarten teacher as being "definitely gay".  Paul goes to a high school where the star quarterback in a drag queen named Infinite Darlene, and everyone is free to be gay or straight for bi or trans (or geeky or smart or talented, etc...) without repercussions.  Paul meets new-boy Noah, and his first real love starts to bloom.  But Noah comes with baggage from a bad break-up, and when Paul's ex-boyfriend starts sniffing around, Paul has to find a way to show Noah that he is not like other guys.

This is your basic teenage love story-two young people, strong feelings, obstacles to be overcome...what makes this novel more than that is the idealized world that Leviathan creates.  Not everything is rosy-Paul's friend Tony, in the next town, has fundamentalist parents who must be tricked into letting him leave with Paul and their other friends-but this is a view of what high schools, and our communities could be like if they were truly accepting and everyone could live openly.  And while I enjoyed the sweet love story between Paul and Noah, what I am grateful to Leviathan for was a chance to live in that world, if only for a few hours.

This World We Live In, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Title:  This World We Live In
Author:  Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher:  Harcourt Children's Books
Year:  2010
Pages:  256
Genre:  Science Fiction/Dystopian
Age Level:  7th Grade and Up




Plot Summary:
This World We Live In continues the story of two families after a meteor hits the moon, changing its orbit and causing its new gravitational pull to start tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions all over the world.  The narrator of this book is the same as the first book in the trilogy, Life As We Knew It, Miranda.  Her family-her mother, two brothers, and cat-have survived the winter, with the help of the food the government has been delivering to people still living in her area.  Most of the people in their small town have either left or died.  The weather is getting marginally warmer, and the days are longer, if still gray with volcanic ash.  They occasionally have electricity for a few hours at a time.  During one of those days when the electricity is working, something miraculous happens-the doorbell rings.  Standing outside are Miranda's father, step-mother, new baby brother, and a small band of survivors, including a boy about Miranda's age named Alex.  The two groups try to decide how to live on the extremely limited resources they have, and start sending the young people out to scavenge in empty houses for anything usable.  Miranda soon realizes she has feelings for Alex, and when a tornado rips through what is left of their town, she is forced to make a decision that could change all of their lives.

Review:
When I read Life As We Knew It, I literally could not put it down.   The story of Miranda's family was fascinating to me.  One of the things I loved about the first book was the way that Pfeffer showed that there would be a slow breaking down of society, and I especially liked that she did not write a story about how suddenly we would all turn into raving lunatics with guns shooting each other over a can of cat food, which is what so many dystopian novels or movies portray.  I personally think that humanity is better than that.

This book was just as gripping, but much less satisfying in the end.  Once again Pfeffer's writing style, and the authenticity of Miranda's character, made me feel like I was reading a real journal by a real person.  Sometimes that format can feel contrived, but not in this case.  I was glad for the addition of new characters-while the first book showed the slow narrowing of their world to just the sunroom and the four of them, this novel highlighted our need to be part of community.  I did not read the second book in the trilogy, The Dead and the Gone, so I'm sure that some of my disappointment is due to not knowing what happened to Alex and his sister Julie before they joined up with Miranda's father and his group.  Because after getting every detail of every day of the beginning of the crisis, things seemed to jump around a lot in the second half of this book.  I couldn't understand why Alex was so insistent not to stay with the group, or why Miranda's step-mother was so attached to Julie.  But that slight dissatisfaction, of my own making, really for not reading the second book, was nothing compared to the end.  I want more!  I want to know where they go and what happens to them!  I searched the internet last night looking for anything that could tell me if this series is going to continue, and given that everything I found-including the author's blog-lists it as a trilogy I guess I'm out of luck. From a teacher's perspective this is not necessarily a bad thing-it can lead to great discussions and writing projects about what becomes of them and America in the future.  But from a reader's point of view-I'll always wonder what became of them.

Teacher Resources:

Official Readers Guide for Trilogy  

This World We Live In Book Trailer 

Interview with Susan Beth Pfeffer 

Almost Perfect, by Brian Katcher

Title:  Almost Perfect
Author:  Brian Katcher
Publisher:  Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Year:  2009
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Age Group:  9th-12th Grade




Plot Summary: 
This cleanly written, moving novel tells the story of Logan, a high school senior living in a rural Missouri town.  He's just broken up with his girlfriend of three years after finding that she cheated on him, and he is feeling at a loss as to how to move on.  In biology he meets Sage, a rare new student to his tiny high school.  Sage is like no one he's ever met before-she is clever, and beautiful, and dresses as though she is living in St. Louis, not small town Missouri.  He quickly becomes infatuated with her, but there are signs that something decidedly different is going on with her.  Her younger sister is strangely overprotective, and her parents won't let her have friends, never mind dates.  As Logan and Sage get to know each other better, and their feelings for each other deepen, Sage finally lets him in on her secret-she was born biologically male.  Logan's world is rocked, as he struggles to deal with the questions about his own identity that come from finding out Sage's secret.  Is he gay?  Will he ever be able to love a "normal" girl?  But eventually Logan realizes that regardless of Sage's biological sex, he is falling in love with her, and when Sage is the victim of a hate-crime, Logan decides he will stop at nothing to be with the girl of his dreams.

Review: 
If  Luna, by Julie Anne Peters, tells the story of a young male-to-female transgender person's decision to come out, then Almost Perfect tells what happens next.  When Sage made the decision to live as a female, her family was so ashamed that they homeschooled her for five years.  Her father applied for a transfer, and the whole family moved to small-town Missouri so that they could protect Sage from what they assumed would follow her decision, and to protect themselves from ridicule and judgement.  Katcher does not romanticize Sage's family in any way.  Her father is borderline abusive, and clearly feels betrayed by his "son's" gender identity.  Her mother loves her, but has no idea how to support her in her decision to transition to female.  Her sister is alternately embarrassed and protective of her.  By the time she meets Logan, Sage has started taking female hormones and "passes" easily as female.  Logan is just your average high school athlete.  Raised in a society that holds little value for homosexuality and none whatsoever for transgendered people, he is at first repulsed by Sage.  Again, the author does a good job of portraying Logan without too much sentimentality.  He struggles with his feelings after Sage shares her secret, and he says some truly horrible things to her.  Eventually, however, he comes to terms with his feelings for her, and they are able to share a very brief time together.  Just as Logan starts to feel that he would be able to have a true, public relationship with Sage, she is the victim of a vicious beating, and it becomes clear to everyone that while Logan and Sage may be ready, society is not.  This is a classic "star-crossed lovers" tale-true love is thwarted by circumstances beyond their control.

Katcher did an excellent job telling this story without sentimentality or sensationalism.  It is not preachy or pedantic-the simple truths revealed in this story have no need to cheap gimmicks, nor does the reader need to be beaten over the head with them, for this novel to resonate with meaning.  This book helped me remember again that while I may not understand the feelings that lead someone to be transgendered, that doesn't really matter.  What matters is that I recognize each individual's right for self-naming, their right to live their lives fully as the people they believe themselves to be.

Teacher Resources: 
While I did not find any specific lesson plans or activities for this novel, I've listed some resources about teaching GLBT issues in the classroom below.

GLBT Stereotypes Lesson Plan 

Advocates for Youth 

Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network 

Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez

Title:  Rainbow Boys
Author: Alex Sanchez
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Pages:  233
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Age Level:  9th Grade and Up





Plot Summary:
Rainbow Boys tells the story of Nelson, Kyle and Jason.  Nelson is the stereotypical gay male-a little swishy, with multiple piercings and multi-colored hair.  Kyle is a quiet, sweet boy, a swimmer on the high school swim team.  Jason is a popular jock, deeply in the closet.  When the novel begins, Nelson is completely out to everyone, including his very liberal mother who is the chairperson of the local chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).  Kyle is out to Nelson and the other teens in their GLBT support group, but not to his family.  He also is deeply infatuated with Jason, looking at his picture in the yearbook so often the page is fading.  Jason is dating Debra, and trying with all of his might to pretend that he is not having feelings for other boys.  When the other guys make gay jokes, or harass Nelson (whom they call Nelly), he laughs or turns away.  Finally he gets up the courage to go to a meeting of the support group, and is horrified to find Kyle and Nelson there.  When he runs, Kyle follows him.  The two boys strike up a friendship when Kyle agrees to help him with his math.  Slowly, as Jason spend more time with Kyle, he breaks up with his girlfriend and comes to terms with his true orientation.  Nelson, meanwhile, has decided that he is in love with Kyle, and tries to put the moves on him.  When that doesn't work, he descends into depression, binging and purging and having unprotected sex with an older man he met on the internet.  Afraid he may have contracted HIV, he sinks even lower, refusing to go to school.  Turns out that Nelson, who is so open about his sexual orientation, doesn't really know any more about how to go about this whole dating business than anyone else.  An act of gay bashing makes Jason realize that it is too dangerous not to stand up for himself and his friends, and leads to him finally coming out to his family.

Review:
If the above summary reminds you of a soap opera, you are not far wrong.  There are a lot of issues tackled in this book, from sexual orientation to gay bashing to bulimia to alcoholism.  Despite the somewhat soapish nature of the plot, the subjects are all handled in an honest way, without any sensationalism or gratuitous detail.  

Each of the boys comes from a very different family.  Nelson lives with his mother, and has almost no contact with his father.  Nelson's mother is the epitome of what gay-accepting parents should be.  She stands up for her son and his right to be who he is, and is actively involved in working for gay rights.  Kyle's parents are well-meaning, though his dad is constantly pushing him into sports.  That's the only reason Kyle joined the swim team, though he finds that swimming is something that helps him clear his head.  When he comes out to his parents, they are taken aback, and both of them struggle to understand how he became the way he is.  When push comes to shove, however, and they find out that he is being harassed at school, they stand up for him.  Jason's dad is an alcoholic-a violent one at that.  He found Jason and another boy experimenting when they were 10, and ever since he has called him pansy or faggot.  It is only after Jason brings Nelson and Kyle back to his house after they were jumped on the street, and his dad starts in on them, that he is able to stand up to him and tell him his deepest secret.  There's no storybook ending here-Dad does not suddenyl decide to go to AA and become a PFLAG member.  He leaves the family and disowns Jason.

It is this authenticity and honesty that makes the book so appealing.  Each of the boys could represent someone I know, or should I say that I know someone who went through what each of these boys did.  The characters are well-developed, and you feel sympathy for each of them.  The plot is well-paced, and the events feel real.  When Kyle's mom finds his gay porno mag, you wince right along with him.  When Nelson gets so depressed he can't get out of bed, you remember what being 17 was like yourself,  how intensely teens feel everything.  Sadly, the boys harassing Kyle and Nelson are also completely believable.  The book was written in 2001, but even with all of the advances in gay rights and awareness that have happened in our country since there are still too many boys like them in our schools.

Sanchez does an excellent job of balancing the personal stories of the boys and some heavily debated societal issues.  When the boys want to start a Gay Straight Alliance at their school, there is the expected opposition from religious groups.  The teachers ignoring the harassment the boys are getting, and in fact blaming them for it because they can't act more "normal", is something that is still true.  Parental acceptance of gay youth differs, though I like to think that more parents are supportive than there used to be.  Overall, this novel brings home the issues that gay teens face every day in a very accessible, personal way.

Teacher Resources:
The themes in this novel are very well suited to the teenage population.  The language is pretty salty, however, and there are a lot of homophobic slurs thrown in.  All of the language is used appropriately for the context of the novel, but it is something you would want to prep your students for ahead of time.  That said, I think that this novel would make a great addition to any study of social justice issues, tolerance, or coming-of-age novels. 

Teaching Tolerance: Hidden Homophobia


Ms. Henson's Class Cultural Studies Unit Plan

The God Box, by Alex Sanchez

Title:  The God Box
Author:  Alex Sanchez
Publsiher:  Simon Pulse
Pages:  248
Genre:  Realistic Fiction
Age Level:  8th-12th Grade






Plot Summary:
Paul is a high school senior in a small Texas town.  He and his girlfriend Angie have been together since middle school, and they enjoy the same things-listening to their favorite Christian rock CDs, singing in the church choir, and being members of their school's Bible study club.  Paul tried not to worry about the fact that while he loves Angie, he does not feel the same attraction for her that most boys describe feeling for girls.  He prays on it most nights-prays that he will lose the "unnatural" feelings he has towards boys so he can be a good Christian.  Enter Manuel, new to school and the first openly gay teen Paul or his friends have ever known.  Manuel is also devoutly Christian, and Paul is thrown into turmoil.  Is it possible to be Christian and gay?  Slowly Manuel opens his eyes to new interpretations of the Bible passages that get trotted out to "prove" God's hatred of homosexuals, but it is not until one terrifying night that Paul decides that being true to himself as one of God's creations is the best way to honor his creator.

Review:
I loved this book, and I'm not even going to try to find some cute, book-reviewer way to say it.  I think that this book should be required reading in every Christian school/Sunday school/Bible study in the country.  If you looked up the definition of "Christian" in the dictionary, Paul's picture would be there.  He loved the Lord, and strove every day to live up to Jesus's standards.  He was kind, and compassionate, and actively engaged in his faith.  But he had been taught that his attraction for men negated all of the prayer and good deeds he's ever done.  Manuel slowly, one Biblical argument at a time, dismantles all of the dogma Paul had been taught.  Their Bible discussions are thoughtful and thought-provoking.  Manuel is not written as some raging queer radical-he's just an average kid, same as the rest, only comfortable enough with himself to live openly as gay.  Even in the face of taunts and danger (sounds a little bit like Christ himself, doesn't it?), he stays true to who he believes God wants him to be.  I really believe that this book put in the hands of the right child at the right time could literally save lives.


Teacher Resource:
Searching the web I found no lesson plans or discussion questions for this book, which I think is a shame.  I did find a whole host of gay-affirming Christian website, however, and was pleasantly surprised.  I also found a website called Beyond Ex-Gay that tells the stories of survivors of what they call religious abuse-that is, using religion as a cudgel to (sometimes literally) beat the gay out of you and make you heterosexual so you can be right with God.   Really fascinating stuff, though not terribly helpful for teachers except as background knowledge.  I think that this book could be taught in high school English classes, but I think that perhaps more importantly I think that it should be openly, easily available in any high school library for teens who are struggling with their faith and their orientation to find.