Instead, it is simply a compassionate but slight portrait of a likable young person whose unique, impassioned spirit is...
Trevor, after which LGBT helpline the Trevor Project is named, began its life as a theater piece, was sold as a short film in 1997, and here is adapted to a contemporary setting in novella form.
Thirteen-year-old Trevor narrates in a voice that is initially exuberant. He wants more attention from his parents and seeks it by theatrically pretending to be dead. He loves Lady Gaga and is surprised when his best friend Zac derisively suggests he shelve his Gaga Halloween costume in favor of something “less gay.” Zac ultimately shuns Trevor and so does the new friend Trevor finds after Zac. Finally, after a bullying incident at school, Trevor attempts suicide (leaving a suicide note that requests that "Born This Way" be played at his funeral). Trevor's voice is engaging, but the novella is short enough that both the change in his character and the resolution happen jarringly quickly. The slightness of the novella is reinforced by pencil drawings that add warmth but give the impression of having been quickly sketched. Teen fiction about gay boys in middle-class, suburban homes struggling with their sexuality is common enough now that this volume is no longer groundbreaking.
Instead, it is simply a compassionate but slight portrait of a likable young person whose unique, impassioned spirit is dampened by bullying and homophobia. (Fiction. 12 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60980-420-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Seven Stories
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sports’ biggest social movement moment of the decade gets a special homage.
Louisiana high school football star Russell Boudreaux chooses to take a stand.
NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick captured the world’s attention by kneeling during the national anthem to bring attention to police brutality against Black Americans. His courageous actions, which resulted in his expulsion from professional football, galvanized a generation of Black athletes to use athletic platforms to spotlight social injustice. This novel draws on this context to weave a tale about two up-and-coming Black high school football players trying to make the most of their final season and escape the harsh realities of their hometown lives. Russell is the Jackson High Jaguars’ formidable tight end, unstoppable when paired with his best friend and game-changing quarterback, Marion. Yet, when White players from well-off rival Westmond incite a fight during a game using racial epithets, Marion must deal with the unjust consequences of biased policing that not only land him off the team, but possibly in jail. Even worse, one of the officers involved was reassigned following the unprosecuted police murder of a Black boy in nearby Shreveport. For Gabby, Russell’s love interest and self-proclaimed intersectional feminist, this requires a courageous stand—but facing up to injustice brings unforeseen consequences; readers must navigate the complex ethics that inform a principled activist stance. Debut author Buford delivers a novel that bridges the mighty dreams of Last Chance Uwith the trenchant social critique of The Hate U Give.
Sports’ biggest social movement moment of the decade gets a special homage. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-335-40251-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: July 7, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Ali, 15 going on 16, lives in Bed-Stuy with his mom, a social worker, and his little sister, Jazz, who has a knack for...
A literary story of growing up in Brooklyn.
Ali, 15 going on 16, lives in Bed-Stuy with his mom, a social worker, and his little sister, Jazz, who has a knack for markers. He hangs out on the stoop with his two BFFs, brothers nicknamed by his sister: Noodles and Needles. Needles, the older, suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, and Noodles and Ali look out for him. In the lead plotline, the three boys crash an illegal party in the basement of a nearby brownstone and then deal with the fallout. Action notwithstanding, the story actually reads more like a character study of Ali and his sister and friends and a tender homage to this seemingly dangerous neighborhood. Even though Reynolds thoughtfully (and most likely truthfully) depicts the neighborhood as one where guns and drug transactions are seen regularly, readers don’t necessarily feel the danger due to the tender and deeply protective relationships of the characters, who are realistically if not exquisitely drawn. The plot, though compelling, takes back seat to them, and what unfolds is a moving and thought-provoking study of the connectivity among a family and friends that plays upon and defies readers’ expectations. An author worth watching. (Fiction. 12 & up) .Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5947-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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