TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL

A lonely Australian gaymer joins a musical theater society in a quest to win the heart of his soul mate.

Noah Mitchell—or Snitchell as he’s called at school—has a problem. He’s in love with MagePants69, a friend he only knows through the online role-playing gameSpire of Dusk. They’re both 17, gay, and live in Ballarat, but parental rules prevent them from sharing any other identifying details. In real life, wealthy White Noah avoids social interactions at all costs. When his self-absorbed mother, the leading lady of their town’s upcoming production of Chicago, asks him to fill a hole in the show’s chorus, he has no intention of accepting until MagePants69 casually mentions in a late-night chat that he attended a rehearsal. Desperate to meet the boy of his dreams and sure that MagePants69 is in Chicago, Noah crafts a plan to make their lives converge. Tightly connected storytelling emphasizes the importance of honesty and vulnerable communication, tying together Noah’s conflicts with his family, his messy romance, and an incident in his past that ended all his friendships in ways that ramp up the tension. The emotional impact of the resolution is muddied by the lack of reflection on race; in the predominantly White cast, most of the antagonists are people of color. Lanky, self-conscious Noah starts working out but by the end of the book is starting to feel more accepting of his body.

Skillfully explores how a teen reckons with authenticity in his relationships.