Happy-Go-Quirky Tale of Gay Adolescence Will Appeal to Any Age

Source: Author Website

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003, 192pp.)

Narrated by Paul, a gay teen, this happy-go-quirky tale chronicles one academic year at a very non-conventional high school, where the quarterback/homecoming queen is a transvestite named Infinite Darlene, the cheerleaders ride Harleys, and being straight-out gay is perfectly okay. But even in this oasis of tolerance, Paul still has ordinary teenage problems. First, he starts dating Noah, a quiet, artistic newcomer at school, but finds that he may still have feelings for his ex, Kyle. Then, his best female friend, Joni, starts dating not-so-nice-guy Chuck, and begins drifting away from their close-knit circle of friends. What's a boy to do? A treasured classic in the LGBT community, Boy Meets Boy is a funny, touching story about acceptance of self and the true love our friends and family give us, despite the stupid mistakes we make. Recommended for all walks of life, Ages 13-Up.

A Smart Sci-Fi Tale with a Feministic Twist

Source: Author Website

Salvage (Salvage #1) by Alexandra Duncan (Greenwillow Books, 2014, 528pp.)

On the deep space merchant ship Parastrata, polygamy is the norm, women are second class citizens, and traditional gender roles are strictly enforced. When Ava, an unmarried teen, choses to give her virginity to the boy she loves rather than waiting for a husband of her family’s choosing, she is banished from the only home she’s ever known. Ava knows she cannot survive on her own, so she decides to travel Earth-side to find her mother’s long-lost half-sister. Along the way, she gains a new sense of self-awareness, and learns some hard lessons that challenge the conservative values she was raised with. A smart sci-fi tale with a feministic twist, Salvage is recommended for Ages 16-18, particularly for fans of Wither and other girl power-themed stories.

One Teen's Struggle to Recover is Well-Documented in This Controversial Novel

Source: Author Website

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2007, 416pp.)

At 12, Josh Mendel was never really the kind of kid you’d expect to get into major trouble—but then he meets his history teacher, Eve, and that’s when everything changes. Like many boys his age, he has a crush on Eve, and is surprised to find out one day that Eve really likes him, too. In the months that follow, Eve teaches him how to please her sexually, and makes him promise not to tell anyone about their “special relationship.” Confused by the adult feelings aroused by his affair with Eve, Josh blows their cover when he accidentally almost rapes his childhood friend, Rachael, after she engages him in an innocent make-out session.

Five years later, Eve is in prison, and Josh is still reeling in the aftermath. He and Rachael are no longer friends—in fact, he barely has but one friend, Zeke, still left from childhood. He’s angry all the time, gets into trouble constantly, and finds it difficult to forgive himself for what almost happened to Rachael. Will he always be known as “that kid that banged the history teacher?” More importantly, was it really love that he and Eve had? Or was he actually molested as his parents and the police claim?

Parents, never fear. Boy Toy isn’t quite the illicit sex-fest you may fear it to be (though it does have a few sex-scene flashbacks). The purpose of the novel is to examine one teen’s struggle to recover from a complex, traumatizing situation, and in my opinion, it does that perfectly. With well-developed characters and quick pacing, I’d recommend this novel for mature teens, ages 16-18.

Great Read; Just Ignore the Flawed Premise

Source: Publisher Website

Wither (Chemical Garden Trilogy #1) by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2011, 358pp.)
 
In the world of Wither, men only live to age 25, while women live to age 20. After they reach those respective ages, each will fall prey to a malicious virus, and because of this, the world is becoming depopulated very quickly. In a frenzy to keep the human race from dying out, polygamy becomes the norm, and incidents of human trafficking go through the roof. “Gatherers” kidnap young girls to sell to the highest bidder. As the story opens, three young women are auctioned off to the wealthy Ashby household. Jenna, age 18, sullenly accepts her fate. Cecily, age 13, has always wanted to be a society wife, and rejoices. But Rhine, age 16, who has been separated from her beloved twin brother, vows to fight and escape by whatever means necessary...even if it means pretending to enjoy her captivity, until someone lets their guard down.

Some reviewers have questioned the validity and science behind the premise: how would a virus automatically kill off EVERYONE at the precise ages of 25 and 20? Why would North America alone survive the desolation of the Earth, while all other continents have been literally reduced to rubble? To which I would reply that yes, they’re correct. It is a flawed premise; the whole narrative is filled with scientific inaccuracies and other implausible details. Would I still recommend this book? Yes! But perhaps I should explain why, since I have criticized quite a few books in the past for their scientific implausibilities. The fact is, I was too swept up in the human aspects of the story to think about the science. The characters are all well-developed, and the villain is believably creepy. So, if that sort of thing bothers you, just skip it. If not, then enjoy the ride! Recommended for Ages 16-Up.

A Gripping, Issue-Driven Debut

Source: Author Website

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio (Balzer + Bray, 2015, 352pp.)

At 18, Kristin Lattimer discovers something shocking: although she has feminine features, she has male chromosomes and a hidden pair of gonads. In other words, she's intersex. When she makes the mistake of trusting her friends with this secret, word spreads quickly throughout the school. Friends turn into tormentors, and her boyfriend, Sam, publicly humiliates her for "lying" to him about her true gender. Suddenly adrift in a hostile environment, Kristin struggles to come to terms with her new identity, and with the loss of the people she once thought were her friends. While Gregorio's characters aren't exactly memorable, the heroine's struggle certainly is. This gripping, issue-driven debut successfully makes Kristin's dilemma relatable to all readers, and takes pains to correct common misconceptions about this little-talked-about condition. Recommended for Ages 16-18 for sexual content.

If The Giver Had Been a Romance, It Would Look Like This

Source: Goodreads

Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie (Speak, 2010, 416pp.)

 
Seventeen-year-old Cassia Reyes lives in a world where the Society has pre-determined each choice she will ever have to make: where she works, who she marries, how many children she can have, and when she will die. On the night of her Matching Banquet, she is delighted to learn that she has been assigned to her life-long best friend, Xander, and will be granted permission to marry him at age 21 if she so desires. If not, she forfeits her rights to be married, and will automatically take on the irrevocable status of “Single.” At home, she activates the microcard containing her Match’s information—and is stunned to discover that the information on the card is not for Xander, but for Ky, a classmate and mutual friend of theirs. The Society, it appears, has made a mistake. Which boy is she meant to be with? Clever, witty Xander, or quiet, introspective Ky? Although the Matching Department contacts her shortly afterward to apologize for the mistake, Cassia can no longer see things as she once did. Now, she is stuck with the uncomfortable decision of continuing to accept the choices the Society makes for her, or—she can finally make choices of her own.

I have to admit that from reading the summary of this book, I didn’t really have very high hopes for Matched. Thankfully, though, I was quite pleasantly surprised. Far from focusing entirely on the love triangle formed by Cassia’s botched Matching assignment, it also takes time to trace Cassia’s slow journey from blind acceptance to disillusionment of the Society. (It may also be wishful thinking on my part, but perhaps Cassia’s questioning of her Match could also be a way of pushing back against the first-love-at-first-sight element so nauseatingly prevalent in YA romance.) One of the best things about the story, though, is that her two love interests are not just bland hunks of boy-meat that seem to populate YA romance now-days. No, even better: these two boys actually have interesting personalities.

As for any downsides to the novel, the only one I can think of is one that many other readers have pointed out in their reviews: Matched seems to borrow a fair amount from Lois Lowry’s classic novel The Giver (government-assigned jobs, ritualistic euthanasia at a pre-determined age, pre-arranged marital assignments, etc.) While this is unfortunate, I, for one, was not really bothered by it, and frankly can’t think of why teens would be bothered by it either. Recommended for teen girls ages 15-Up.

Entertaining, But Still Lacking

Source: Author Website

The Young Elites (The Young Elites #1) by Marie Lu (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2014, 368pp.)

In a fantasized version of Renaissance Italy, those who survive the dreaded blood fever find themselves gifted with magical powers. These young survivors call themselves the Young Elite; everyone else calls them malfettos, the cursed. For young Adelina Amouteru, her power is the ability to create illusions so powerful they can drive people to distraction, or even bring about death. When her untrained powers inadvertently bring about her abusive father’s unsavory (but well-deserved) demise, the malfetto-hating Inquisition Axis arrests her and sentences her to death.
 

Enter the Dagger Society, a group of Young Elites lead by the mysterious youth, Enzo Valenciano. On the day of her scheduled execution, Adelina suddenly finds herself rescued by Enzo, and relocated to the Daggers’ hideout. There, Enzo offers her a chance to join the gang and hone her abilities. She accepts his invitation, but is dismayed to find that many of the Daggers don’t trust her, and actually fear her for her power. As she struggles with her own insecurities and fears—fears that fuel her abilities, and could lead to more death—she finds that the ambitious lead Inquisitor, Teren Santoro, has discovered her whereabouts, and is now threatening to kill Violetta, the sister she left behind, if she does not agree to spy on the Daggers for him.

First, the good: there’s a lot of impressive stuff in here. There’s a splendid fantasy world, lots of adventure, and an ending that will tempt even the most jaded of teens into checking out the sequel. But personally? I think it could have been so much better. 

On her site, the author explains that The Young Elites is the beginning of an origin story for a villainess, which, I have to admit, is a pretty neat idea. However, I’m of the opinion that Adelina (the heroine/villainess in question) gets to her desired destination just a little too quickly. Does she really have to go bad by the end of the first book? Why not the second? Or even the third? As anyone who’s seen Star Wars can tell you, it took Anakin Skywalker three whole movies to go from bright-eyed innocent to menacing villain.

I’ll complete my laundry list of complaints by mentioning the criminally underdeveloped supporting cast, and the obligatory romantic pairing between Adelina and the hot guy, which felt rushed in its development.

So, my opinion? It’s okay. Entertaining, but certainly not spectacular. Recommend for Ages 15-Up, and for fans of Lu’s earlier Legend trilogy; fans of X-Men, and other areas of fantasy.