Speak

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: 1999
ISBN: 9780374371524
Page number: 198
Price: $17
Genre: realistic fiction
Reading Level: 6th grade 
Interest Level: 8th grade and up
Awards: National Book Award Nominee for YOung People's Literature (1999), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2000), Printz Honor (2000)
Plot Summary: Melinda has become enemy number one at school and her friends aren't speaking to her either. Everyone is made at Melinda because she called the cops at an end of school party. Of course everyone blames Melinda now knows that it doesn't pay to speak up and she retreats into isolation. The only things she enjoys is her art class. Melinda is just going to get through school and not tell anyone about why she really called the cops that night. The thing is, Melinda was raped at that party but she couldn't speak up about it. Then when she runs into her rapist Melinda finds the strength to finally speak up and fight back.
Review: Speak is an extremely moving and touching novel about a girls struggle to speak out about her rape. Melinda is completely isolated by her own friends with pushes her further into her depression and isolation. Her art class is the only things the brings her some relief. It is also her art class that allows her to start finally addressing the feeling and emotions she has surrounding her rape. Anderson is known for touching on issues that effect teen girls and Speak is one of those books. It really addresses this issue of rape in American and how victims like Melinda are afraid to speak out. The story shows the struggle that she goes through and how the rape has emotionally scared Melinda.
Reader's Annotation: Everyone hates Melinda for breaking up a party by calling the cops. What they don't know is that Melinda was raped that night. But no one will ever know if Melinda won't speak out.
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: For rape victims this story shows the pain of not speaking out and that it's okay to stand up and fight back, that you don't have to be a victim. For others it shows how emotionally it is to find the courage to speak out about being raped.
Issues: Melinda is raped and then later attacked by her rapist.
Book Talk Ideas: The book talk could be from the point of view of the other students at the school. They could talk about how she broke up the party and know is a loner with no friends. This will show how people can rush to conclusions instead of reaching out to find out what happened. 
Main Themes: rape, isolation, friendships, high school
Read-alikes: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen 
Author Website: http://lauriehalseanderson.org/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
Why this book was chosen: Speak is an emotionally tense novel that deals with the issue of rape. Considering that society still struggles with rape and blaming victims this book can provide some insight into the emotions of rape.

Leverage

Title: Leverage
Author: Joshua C. Cohen
Published: 2011
ISBN: 9780525423065
Page number: 425
Price: $17.99
Genre: sports fiction, realistic fiction
Reading Level: 8th grade
Interest Level: 10th grade and up
Awards: 
Plot Summary: The story is told in alternating chapters, one from the point of view of Danny and one from the point of view of Kurt. Danny is not a big guy but he is a talented gymnast. Kurt, on the other hand is a massive guy who was recently recruited to play football at Oregrove high school, which both Kurt and Danny attend. The football players rule things at Oregrove high school and when the coach of the gymnastic team demands that the football team shares the weight room the football players make the gymnastic team their main target for harassment. Danny and his teammates are no match for the huge football players whose anger is fueled by steroids. Kurt is a new member to the team and has a very dark past filled with abuse and not so great foster homes. He is just trying to lie low and play football but soon finds himself an unlikely friend with Danny. But his friendship with Danny doesn't sit well some of the senior football players. The players will stop at nothing to humiliate and degrade the gymnasts and soon take things too far. Danny and Kurt want to let everyone know what happened but when the football players hold all the power what can they do?
Review: Joshua Cohen has put together a great story told from two different view points. I enjoy seeing things from the perspective of Danny and Kurt, it gives the reader some great insight into the story. I also like that Cohen doesn't allow his characters to be one dimensional. Kurt could have easily been written as a typical dumb jock but instead he is a teen who has suffered immense loss and abuse and struggles with his past. I think he vulnerability makes him a likable character, unlike his fellow teammates who come off more like the typical egotistical football players. At times I found the story to be hard to read but only because I was so infuriated with how the football players treated other people in the story. I did question why Danny didn't call the police or how the teachers and coaches could be so oblivious but then again things like this do actually happen. The story is compelling and thought provoking and overall a great read. I was slightly disappointed with how neatly the story resolved itself but I think having a happy ending helps the reader deal with some of the more tragic events of the story.
Reader's Annotation: Danny is small but talented high school gymnast trying to earn himself an athletic scholarship and prove to his dad how talented he really is. Kurt, is foster kid who stutters and hides a dark past but his massive size and skills in football have earned him a starting position on the football team. Danny and Kurt, while complete opposites find themselves as friends but when Kurt's teammates are determined to make life hell for Danny and his fellow gymnasts things go terribly wrong. 
Book Talk Ideas: The story is told from two different view points which would make for an interesting book talk. One part could be told by Danny and the other by Kurt.
Issues: The book contains foul language, violence, bullying, teen drinking, suicide,abuse and a very descriptive and disturbing sexual assault scene.
Main themes: sports, abuse, bullying, suicide
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: There is a lot that a reader could gain from the story. For one there is Kurt who struggles with a stutter and a troubled past of abuse. Then there is Danny who is the victim of relentless bullying from the football team. The story also shows how that lack of support that Ronnie received from his teammates after the football players sexually assaulted him pushed him over the edge. I think it also shows how Danny and Kurt triumphed over the intimidation they received in order to make things right even if it meant risking everything.
Read-alikes: Endgame by Nancy Garden and We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Author Website: http://www.leveragethebook.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
Why this book was chosen: The book tells a disturbing story of bullying and high school sports that isn't often discussed.

Blue Bloods

Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa De La Cruz
Publication Info: March 2007
ISBN: 0786838922
Pages: 302
Price: $15.99
Other books in the series: Masquerade, Revelations, The Van Alen Legacy, Keys to the Repository, Misguided Angel, Bloody Valentine, Lost in Time, Gates of Paradise
Genre: fantasy, romance
Reading Level: 6th grade
Interest Level: 8th grade and up
Plot Summary: The Blue Bloods are elite group of aristocrates in New York City that have one thing in common, they are vampires. The Blue Bloods live a human life time then cycle out to be reborn into human society. The vampires do not regain their full memories of their passed lives till the their teens. Schulyer Van Alen lives her grandmother in a rundown mansion and attends a prestiges private school but soon Schulyer is acting different and she isn't sure why. Then a girl from her high school is found dead with all her blood drained. Something isn't right in the world of the Blue Bloods and what does Schulyer have to do with it? What does the changes in Schulyer have to do with the strange murder of her classmate?
Critical Review: Blue Bloods is a very unique take on Vampires. The don't hunt down humans but rather they live among humans and are responsible for many of the great achievements of humans. Melissa De La Cruz creates an enticing world that is full of action, suspense and romance. The first book hooks you into the series and as a reader you can't help but get lost in the world Melissa has created. There is a lot of references to historical events and biblical stories that Melissa intertwines with vampire lore.
Reader's Annotation: New York City is infested with vampires and humans are completely unaware. They have lived this way for centuries but something is going wrong in the world of vampires and humans. Schuyler Van Alen is suddenly craving raw food and having strange flashback and when a girl from her high school ends up dead with all her blood drained Schuyler begins to wonder what is going on.
Book Talk Ideas: The book talks about how many famous actors, models and singers are in fact vampires. It would be interesting to bring in that aspect into the book talk by having the teens imagine if all the their favorite actors and singers were in fact vampires living among us.
Issues: The story features very rich vampire teens who engage in sexual activities, drinking and risk taking behaviors.
Main Themes: secret societies, vampires
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: For the most part the story is a fun read but it does show teens taking on obstacles, even if those teens are vampires.
Read alikes: Bloodlines by Richelle Mead and City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Author Website: http://www.melissa-delacruz.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
Why Include this book? Vampires are still very popular and the series has been a huge success for Melissa De La Cruz.

The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Published: Oct. 2009
ISBN: 0385737947
Page number: 374
Price: $16.99
Other books in the Series: The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order
Genre: dystopia, fantasy
Reading Level:  6th grade
Interest Level: 6th grade and up
Awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Abraham Lincoln Award (2012), Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy Novel (2009)
Plot Summary: Thomas wakes up to find himself in the Glade with no recollection of life before he awoke. The Glade is home to a bunch of young boys called Gladers who each have a job to do in the Glade. Outside the Glade lies a large maze that closes every night. Every day the boys work to try and get out of the maze but they can't seem to find the exit before the maze closes every night. At night strange and deadly creatures come out of the maze and the boys must retreat to the Glade for safety.  Everyone month a new boy shows up, just like Thomas, and they have no idea of life before the  maze but the day after Thomas shows up a girl appears. That is when everything goes wrong. The maze doesn't close at night and the Gladers are now exposed to the dangers within the maze. Their only choice for survival is to escape but what lies outside the maze? 
Review: The story is fast paced and action packed. The mystery of the maze and why they are all there drives the story. Though it seems that as the story moves along there is more questions than answers. Of course the story is part of a series so many of those question can be answered in later stories. There is quite a bit of violence but the story is one of survival and not every kid in the maze makes it out. The story ends on a cliffhanger with the reader eager to start the next book.
Reader's Annotation: Thomas wakes up to find himself in a maze with no idea of who he is or where he is. Thomas is just another boy who has found himself trapped in the maze but everything changes when a girl shows up.
Book Talk Ideas: The story is built on mystery and suspense so that same feeling should be brought to the book talk. Perhaps using many of the stories unknowns to draw in the audience.
Issues: The story is a dystopian theme with violence, betrayal and government conspiracy.

Main Themes: secrecy, violence, coming of age, survival, betrayal, government conspiracy

Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: The story is one of survival and struggle and teens perhaps gain strength from the characters ability to overcome deadly creatures and other trials in the maze.
Read-alikes: Code by Kathy Reichs and Shade's Children by Garth Nix
Author Website: http://www.jamesdashner.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews

Why chose this book: The series is very popular, especially amont teen boys who love the action and suspense. The story has received some controversy for it's violence.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1)
Author: Patrick Ness
Other books in the series: The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men
ISBN: 1406310255
Pages: 496
Price: $18.99
Genre: Sci-fi, dystopia
Reading Level: 6th grade
Interest Level: 9th grade and up
Awards: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2008), YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2011)
Plot Summary: Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, a town like no other. Prentisstown has no woman, and everyone can hear each other's thoughts, even the thoughts of animals. The noise, as they call it, is a constant part of life. All the woman in Todd's town have died, including his mother. The source of their death was a disease that they caught from the native species on the planet that they refer to as Spackle. The town told Todd that it is this disease that causes everyone to be able to hear each other's thoughts. Todd is the youngest in the town and is on the verge of becoming a man. Though not too long before his 13th birthday, Todd discovers place out in the swamps that is silent, a place where there is no noise. Todd's attempts to keep this a secret fail and his adoptive parents force him to leave Prentisstown due to some fear that they will not share with Todd. As Todd and his dog, Manchee, try to escape they are chased down by Aaron, the resident pastor, who does not have the best intentions for Todd. Todd also finds the source of the silence, a girl who was sent with her parents on a scouting  mission from another planet. Unfortunately, her parents were killed when her ship crashed. Todd can't hear her thoughts and he soon fears that she will catch the disease and die. So Todd and the girl, Viola, take off with Manchee to flee Aaron and see if they can find help. They soon find another village that has woman and Todd starts to learn the truth about Prentisstown. Though the men of Prentisstown come after Todd and take out anyone in their path. Aaron is determined to capture Viola and kill Todd. But how can you escape when none of your thoughts are secret?
Critical Review: The book has a unique feel, in that it has an almost old west type of setting with a sci-fi twist. The storyline is fast paced due to all the action and it keeps the reader very engaged through out the story. The book can be a bit difficult to read at the beginning since the spelling and vocabulary reflects that of the people of Prentisstown. Though after a while it becomes very easy to read. I also liked the way the noise is represented. Each persons thoughts are represented by a different font and at times the noise is so jumbled it's unreadable, which really helps get across the idea of the noise. The book does have quite a bit of violence, but I think the fact that Todd struggles with his part of violence shows just how it can affect a person. Patrick Ness is able to create a story, that while violent still has a lot of emotion.
Reader's Annotation: Prentisstown has many secrets. For instance what happened to all the women? And why can everyone hear each other's thoughts? Todd Hewitt is about to become a man but just before his 13th birthday he discovers the biggest secret of all: silence. What is behind the silence in the swamp and how can you keep a secret when everyone can hear your thoughts?
Book talk ideas: I would focus my book talk on the idea that everyone can hear each other's thoughts. Teens could relate to this idea of being bombarded with constant thoughts since they live in the digital age and it seems that teens are constantly being exposed to a constant stream of media.
Issues: The story is violent and it has it's own unique form of swearing. Also, the religious figure in the story is the stories main villan.
Main Themes: secrecy, dystopia, violence, coming of age, space travel
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Todd was raised with believing things were one way only to find out that he has been lied to. The story shows Todd's struggle to find the truth and to become a man. Teens can relate to Todd's struggle for the truth and his growth into adulthood.
Read alikes: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card, Divergent by Veronica Roth
Author Website: http://www.patrickness.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Why this book was chosen: The story received critical acclaim and has been popular due to it's dystopian themes. It features a male lead character and is action packed which draws in lots of reluctant readers.

The Name of the Star

Title: The Name of the Star
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published: Sept., 2012
ISBN: 0399256601
Page number: 372
Price: $17.99
Other Books in the Series: The Madness Underneath
Reading Level: 7th grade
Interest Level: 9th grade and up
Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal 
Awards: Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adults (2012)
Plot Summary: Rory is following her parents to England to spend time abroad while they take a sabbatical. Rory is attending a boarding school in the heart of London and soon after she starts classes she finds herself at the center of "Rippermania". It seems that someone is recreating the Jack the Ripper murders and Rory's school is near all the murder spots. Then one night when Rory sneaks out to spy on the Ripper she sees more than she bargains for. Rory sees a man that her roommate doesn't and soon after a body is found near the spot where she saw the mystery man. Rory soon becomes the only eye witness in a serial killer case but why can no one else see him. Is Rory just crazy or is something else going on.
Review: The story is an interesting one in that the supernatural element is not introduced right away. This keeps the story interesting as Johnson adds an element of mystery and interest with the introduction of a ghost serial killer. The story is creepy and scary without being overly terrifying. It balances the gore and scare with great characters and some humor. 
Reader's Annotation: Some one is recreating the Jack the Ripper murders in London. Rory is an American going to school in London but being a part of "Rippermania" is not what she anticipated. The killer is striking very close to Rory's school and when Rory becomes the only witness to the possible serial killer Rory gets dragged into "Rippermania".
Book Talk Ideas: Jack the Ripper was a huge media sensation so perhaps using old articles about Jack the Ripper to introduce the story would grab the audience
Issues: The book is violent and features a serial killer ghost.
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: Serial killers are terrifying and when that serial killer is a ghost bent on destroying you it's even more terrifying. Teens can experience the terror that Rory feels but also the triumph as she helps stop the ghost from killing more people.
Main Themes: serial killers, London, boarding school, ghosts, mystery
Read-alikes: The Diviners by Libba Bray and The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey
Author Website: http://www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com/index1.html
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Why this book was chosen: The book is a great combination of horror, mystery and the supernatural. This combination of genres is a great way to pull in new readers.

Ironman

Title: Ironman
Author: Chris Crutcher
Published: April, 1995
ISBN: 0060598409
Page number: 288
Price: $4.99
Genre: realistic fiction, sports fiction
Reading Level: 10th grade 
Interest Level: 9th grade and up
Awards: 
Plot Summary: Bo can't seem to please his father or his former football coach and now teacher. Ever since Bo quit football both father and his former coach can't seem to forgive him. Now, Bo is training for the grueling Ironman in which he will have to run, bike and swim his way to the finish line. He trains, maintianes good grades and even holds down a job but still can't seem to earn the approval of his father. Bo is sent to anger management after calling his former coach and asshole and is now forced to spend his mornings with what Bo thinks are the crazy kids of his school. But soon Bo learns that he isn't the only one with some issues in his past or less than perfect relationship with their father. It isn't long before Bo starts to realize that he has a lot of unresolved issues with his father that drive his anger. Will winning the Ironman finally get the approval he needs from his father or will he always be at odds with him?
Review: Ironman is far more than a sports story. While the story does feature Bo training and struggling to prepare for his race the bigger issues is that of his relationship with his father. Bo and his father struggle to communicate and as Bo gets older it only get worse and this manifests itself into anger for Bo which has him sent to anger management. It is here that the story shows how abuse, and difficult pasts can haunt and change a person. Each of the students has had a rough time and struggles to deal with their anger. The characters stories is what draws you into the story and become invested in what happens. The story also features letters written from Bo to Larry King about his life and current struggles. The letters act as a diary of sorts as Bo lays out his struggles to Larry. The ending of course is the race in which Bo has been training for and the support he receives from his anger management classmates is heart warming. I appreciate the fact the story doesn't end perfectly for Bo and his dad but instead ends with things far from perfect but improving. Bo and his dad can't fix their relationship over night but the story shows that things can get better if you work on it.
Reader's Annotation: Bo is training for a triathalon like no other, the Ironman. It will push him to his limits in running, biking and swimming. Bo manages to balance school, training, work and even helping care for his younger brother but none of that seems to make his father happy. Bo and his father have never seen eye but when Bo quits football it only gets worse. Then Bo flips out on his former football coach and gets himself sent to anger management. But does Bo really belong in a class with the schools delinquents? While winning the Ironman finally get Bo the approval he's always wanted? Or will Bo always be at odds with his father?
Issues Present: The book has foul language, ethnic slurs, violence and abuse. It also features a gay teacher.
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: The story deals with Bo's strained relationship with his father and also the abuse issues with other characters. They all have had parents that have not always been loving and supporting and for some of them their parents have been abusive and neglectful. Readers with similar struggles can relate to the anger that the characters struggle with.
Book Talk Ideas: The letters to Larry King play a large role so I think the book talk should be in a letter format.
Main Themes: father and son relationships, anger, abuse, training, triathlon 
Read-alikes: Keeper by Mal Peet and Bullyville by Francine Prose
Author Website: http://www.chriscrutcher.com/
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why this book was chosen: The book while sports related is more about relationships with friends, family and even romantic relationships. It shows how the past can affect your present but also that it doesn't have to define you. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-TIme Indian

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Published: Sept., 2007
ISBN: 0316013692
Page number: 230
Price: $16.99
Reading Level: 6th grade
Interest Level: 7th grade and up
Awards: National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007), American Indian Library Association Award (2007)
Plot Summary: Junior lives on an Indian reservation in Washington with his parents and sister. Like much of the reservation his parents are alcoholics living in poverty. His sister, who had great promise, now hides away in the basement. Junior is an awkward but intelligent teen who stutters and has health issues due to being born with water on the brain. He is often picked on by the other kids on the reservation but his best friend Rowdy always comes to his defense. But when Junior decides that his only hope for his future is to go to school off the reservation his best friend turns on him, along with the rest of the reservation. Things are too great at his new school either since Junior is the only Indian in a see of white faces. As he tries his best to fit in he starts to feel that he is betraying his Indian heritage.
Review: This has been a book I've wanted to read for a while. It's had its fair share of controversy and it delivers with course language, talk of masturbation, alcoholism, racism and abuse. But the story is wonderfully told with humor, sadness and honesty. Junior is struggling with his choice to attend school off the reservation at a nearby school where everyone is white. He is treated as an outcast at his new school and a traitor back home. But Junior is resilient, he doesn't give up, even against all odds and great tragedy.   It is Junior's wit and humour that keeps the book moving and from becoming too depressing. Alexie manages to deliver a lot of heavy subject matters with a healthy dose of humor. The story itself gives a glimpse of how life hopeless life on the reservation can be for young Native Americans. This feeling could easily be translated to poor areas across the country. While many will criticize the story, saying it is a negative portrayal of Native Americans, I feel that Sherman Alexie has told a story that has frank honesty but manages to touch the reader in an emotional way.
Reader's Annotation: Junior lives on a reservation in Washington with his parents and sister. He may be the smartest person on the reservation but in a place that lacks opportunity and hope there isn't much of a future for Junior. So when Junior decides to leave his reservation to go to a white school a town over his decision is not well received by the kids at his new school or the people on his reservation. Can Junior still be an Indian even if he's turn his back on his reservation and will his new school ever accept him?
Book Talk Ideas: Junior loves to draw, so it would be interesting to use sketches or drawings to introduce the story.
Issues: The book has foul language, discussion of masturbation, alcoholism, racism and abuse.
Main Themes: racism, alcoholism, abuse, friendship, family, identity, poverty
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: The story is very relatable for those dealing with poverty, alcoholism, abuse or racism. For many minorities who live in poverty the struggles that Junior faces when he decides to try and get out of the reservation are very relatable and real life issues. It can help others realize the many problems that plague the Native American population and others living in extreme poverty like Junior.
Read-alikes: Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S King, Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury
Author Website: http://www.fallsapart.com/
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why this book was chosen: The book not only features a Native American as the main character but the author is Native American. So often YA lit does not represent diversity so this story is not only great because the author is Native American but because the story is unique in it's honest telling of Native American struggles. It is also a book that has received great praise from critics and readers.

Boy Meets Boy

Title: Boy Meets Boy 
Author: David Levithan
Published: Sept., 2003
ISBN: 9780375832994
Pages: 185
Price: $8.95
Reading Level: 7th grade
Reading Interest: 8th grade and up
Genre: Romance, Fiction, LGBTQ
Awards: Lambda Literary Foundation Award (2003), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
Plot Summary: Paul is a gay high school sophomore who attends a high school like no other. For one thing Paul's high school has a transvestite quarterback named Infinite Darlene. And when the Boy Scouts wouldn't accepting gay members his town formed the Joy Scouts instead. Then enters Noah who is new to the school and Paul falls for him but high school is complicated and relationships aren't easy. Paul struggles to balance his new relationship as well as heal an old one with his ex-boyfriend, Kyle who had spread rumors about Paul after their breakup. To make matters worse, Paul's best friend Joni is barely speaking to him and spends all her time with her jerk boyfriend Chuck. Then there is Paul's gay friend Tony who is struggling to deal with his ultraconservative parents who don't approve oh his gay lifestyle. Can Paul balance all his relationships and still keep Noah?
Review: Boy Meets Boy is a very sweet love story that just happens to feature two teenage boys. The fact that they are gay is just a detail of the story rather than the focus. Instead the book really focuses on relationships like the one between Paul and Noah as well as the other relationships that Paul has with his friends and family. It explores the ups and downs of relationships with all their complications. The book really highlights that no matter what kind of relationship whether romantic, gay or straight they all have problems and all people go through similar problems in their own life. Levithan really makes Paul's issues very relatable and shows that gay teens struggle through many of the same problems as straight teens, it in a way helps normalizes the gay lifestyle. It's refreshing to see a book not focus so much on the issues of being gay but rather just the issues of being a teenager and managing relationships with people. This could really help teens who are may be gay realize that they aren't that different from their straight friends, that they are in deed normal.
Reader's Annotation: Paul is your typical high schooler well if you don't include his transvestite quarterback friend Infinite Darlene, but at Paul's high school Infinite Darlene is pretty typical. Paul falls for Noah, a new student but seems aren't always as easy as it seems. When Paul's ex boyfriend tries to get him back Noah isn't too thrilled. Will Paul loose Noah or can he some how balance his relationships and still get through high school?
Book Talk Ideas: For the book talk I think focusing more on the relationships is important. Some teens might get hung up on that it's two boys rather than it's a love story between two people. So I think it's important to put the focus on the relationship end. Like Paul's relationship with his ex, with his best friend who is drifting away and his new relationship with Paul. Teens will relate to that whether they are gay or straight.
Issues Present: Any book that features a gay relationship is sure to upset some people who find objections the the gay lifestyle. They may feel the story normalizes the gay lifestyle and that it is some how part of a "gay agenda".
Main Themes: sexuality, LGBTQ, relationships, romance, friendship
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: The book provides gay teens with a very pleasant and fun romance that doesn't get bogged down with negative reactions over the characters sexuality. Paul is very confident and comfortable with himself and he may help teens who are struggling with their sexuality feel more comfortable with who they are. Overall the story is helpful because it depicts gay relationships in a positive light and both straight and gay teen teens can relate to the relationship ups and downs that Paul goes through throughout the story.
Read alikes: Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan, The Straight Road to Kylie by Medina Nico
Author Website: http://www.davidlevithan.com/
Professional Reviews: Publisher's Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
Why Choose this book? The book represents a gay high school relationship and shows that it is much like a straight relationship. It can help teens who are gay feel more accepted and normal with their relationships because they are being represented in a positive light in literature. Also, David Levithan wrote a great book that is enjoyable to read and teens looking for a romance will enjoy the love story he has created.