Strictly for fans of Miss Porter’s, Wegmans, and the Vineyard.
Two teens find healing through a senior writing project at an upscale school serving gifted youth with psychiatric disorders in Ithaca, New York.
Levon is a loner; some speculate he’s inherited Asperger’s from the father he’s never met. Recently hospitalized after a suicide attempt, Samantha remains fragile. Meg, their English teacher/therapist, instructs them to write about their lives, sharing their work with each other. Separately, she solicits written input from their families and others. These collective writings form the novel. The project makes little academic or literary sense. New essayists repeat what readers already know, rewinding the narrative to catalog academic and professional accomplishments—before marveling at Levon and Sam, who are widely admired. (Each is tall, attractive, sensitive, and gifted). Their world feels hermetically sealed: inhabited exclusively by white, privileged, good-looking, high-achieving students and adults whose possessions manifest Eurocentric good taste. The few not born to affluence have ascended to it via natural gifts. (In mind-blowing reverse-stereotyping, a professor tells Sam’s Catholic father that his intelligence and good taste prove he has Jewish blood.) The repeated emphasis on characters’ beauty, brilliance, and wealth is distancing. This effect is compounded as Sam, Levon, and their peers are admitted to Ivies and other top-tier colleges, success achieved without visible effort. (When one’s admitted to the New England Conservatory, friends are astonished to learn he plays the cello.)
Strictly for fans of Miss Porter’s, Wegmans, and the Vineyard. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62672-688-8
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A welcome hit into the outfield of books about queer athletes.
A closeted teen steps up to the plate for a cute boy—and himself.
After jocks ridicule and knock over his history class presentation, freshman Jonah picks up the pieces. Cute classmate Elliot helps. That small act of kindness makes sparks fly, cuing confusing feelings. Jonah decides to join the baseball team to get closer to Elliot—even if it means enduring more bullying from the other teammates. But Coach Jackson sees Jonah’s athletic potential and takes him under his wing. As the plot follows the four baseball seasons until Jonah’s graduation, Jonah slowly goes from laughingstock to star. But does he ever truly fit in? Cartoonist and editor Newman’s semiautobiographical graphic novel debut is a heartfelt tale of self-discovery. Consolidating all four years of high school into one book makes for a quick pace. Clever paneling and nearly wordless sequences effectively pump the brakes for key moments—and show glimpses of Jonah’s wild imagination. Despite the rampant bro culture and homophobia of the aughts setting, multiple queer characters of all ages at various stages of coming out add an important sense of community and possibility. A subplot about a female teammate briefly touches on sexism. Though the ensemble cast is diverse in skin tone, the majority of the main cast present white; Coach Jackson is Black.
A welcome hit into the outfield of books about queer athletes. (author’s note, process notes, resources) (Graphic fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781524884826
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
