Author: David Levithan
Genre: YA, GLBT
Pages: 185
Rating: 5 out of 5
Challenges: YA, GLBT
FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library
Summary (from the inside flap): This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: the cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12 to 1 against getting Noah back, but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away any time soon... but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
Review: I really enjoyed this book. What an amazing world, where students can be friends with and date whomever they want without ridicule or fear of harassment. Wouldn't that be amazing? To be who you really are, whether it's straight, gay, bisexual, shy, outgoing, religious or not, and not worry about everyone making fun of you? That's the world that Levithan has created in Boy Meets Boy.
Yes, the plot is boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy gets boy back. But there is so much else going on in this book. I mean, the quarterback is a transgender! How fun is that?! And, she is popular! The friendship issues are dealt with really well. How do friends deal with friends dating people they don't like? How does family deal with it? How can we get ourselves to respect people with views that are different from our own?
And the book isn't preachy; the reader feels like the acceptance, the difficulties, and the flow of the plot all make sense and are real. I liked the characters and even if I didn't like some of the choices they made, I felt as if the conversations could happen.
4 comments
This was my very first Levithan and I really enjoyed it too. :)
I should read this one, I've heard amazing things about the author and this sounds pretty cool. Thanks!
When I read the description, where it says about a used-to-be-a-guy being the homecoming queen, my eyes just popped out for a minute. Not for the oddity of the fact, but the oddity of the easy acceptance that the line signified. And then you describe the world Levithan created, where you can be anyone. How I just wish that was reality! This book does seem to have the common elements of meets, loses and gets back, but I love the spin on it! I should get to this.
Amanda--I just thought this was such a good book! Glad to hear you liked it too
Jessica--I liked this book better than his "Love is the Higher Law", but they are both good
Aths--You know, the standard plot line works well for this book since so much else is out of the ordinary (read: good).
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