Title: TWO BOYS KISSING
Author: David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (a Random House imprint)
Release Date: August 27, 2013
Number of Pages: 208
Source of Book: Book provided by the publisher to Book Divas for review

        New York Times  bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. 
        While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.

TWO BOYS KISSING is the story of the modern day gay teenager told through the collective voice of the past generation of gay men who came of age during the AIDS epidemic. It is the story of Craig and Harry attempting to break the world record for the longest kiss, over 32 hours, even though they are no longer in a romantic relationship. Interwoven around that main storyline, it is also the story of other young men having their own personal experiences with their significant others, their family, their friends, and the accepting and non-accepting world around them. It is also the story of Peter and Neil who are a couple struggling with how to keep the spark alive after being together long enough to know each other so well. It is also the story of Avery and Ryan who have just met and are forging their way through the beginning stages of getting to know someone you are drawn to. It is also the story of Cooper, who is alone after running away from an angry father who discovers he is gay. Indelibly, it is also the broader story of the generation of gay men who have passed, and their observations, their hopes, their dreams, their fears, their voice putting into context what today’s youth experience, and the realization that as much as it may be better, there are still some in society who will make it more difficult for this generation of kids.

Through this unique narration voice, David Levithan has created a poetically lyrical honesty. It is the story of one, the story of a few, the story of many, the story of those who came before and the story of those yet to come. It highlights this unique period of time where the voices of the past are in awe of, wistful for, and fearful of the experiences today’s gay youth have available to them. In this short period of time in which this book takes place, the weight of the past and the present and the future is felt strongly and honestly. They say, “Trust us: There is a nearly perfect balance between the past and the future. As we become the distant past, you become a future few of us would have imagined.” By juxtaposing the feelings of the narrators’ experiences in the 80s and their need to hide with the openness of this generation’s gay youth, who may still at times feel the need to hide, it creates a level of suspense and hope for the future. There is a medley of voices showing a variety of experiences, but ultimately it comes down to the individual experience of just one. Each individual one. Through coming out, growing relationships, getting past hurt, beginning flirtation, facing hatred, and feeling lost, each character’s journey is unique and develops at a different pace, while all living intertwined narratives. The point is obvious, “The minute you stop talking about individuals and start talking about a group, your judgment has a flaw in it.” It is a moving story. It is a story of hope. It is a beautifully written story of beautiful moments and horrifying ones as well. It is a story set against the backdrop of an image of two boys kissing and the reactions to that image. If Avery’s feelings are true, “…he doesn’t feel anyone can be a true part of his story until he or she hears it and accepts it,” then the reader gets a chance to be a part of this story by hearing and accepting the experiences of these characters representing what life might really be like for this generation. This is a books of truths, and as Levithan writes, “The first sentence of the truth is always the hardest,” but “Saying the truth out loud makes it more real.” TWO BOYS KISSING says the truth out loud, even if it is hard to do.

*As some scenes and moments are graphic in physical description or mature in emotional nature, this may not be an easy book for all, but it is an important book. Teens need to know that there is a voice that speaks for them, and I think this book can be that voice for many.

Title: FROM WHAT I REMEMBER…
Author: Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: May 15, 2012
Number of Pages: 462
Source of Book: Bought the hardcover on the recommendation of Jen (@mentortexts)

KYLIE: Tijuana WHAT? I
should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech.
Graduation is TODAY, and is this a wedding band on my finger.

MAX:
It all started with Kylie’s laptop and a truck full of stolen
electronics. Okay, it was kind of hot, the way she broke us out like
some chick in an action movie. But now we’re stranded in Tijuana. With
less than twenty-four hours before graduation. Awesome.

WILL:
Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation.
Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job. And when I found out she
was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agreed to bring
their passports across the border — but there’s no reason to rush back
home right away. This party is just getting started.

LILY: I
just walked in on my boyfriend, Max Langston, canoodling with Kylie
Flores, freak of the century. Still, I can’t completely hold it against
him. He NEEDS me. It’s even clearer now. And I’m not giving him up
without a fight.

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is a mash-up of a John Hughes movie and The Hangover. I really enjoyed it, and I’m sure pretty much everyone of my generation that grew up with these types of high school drama movies will too; I’m just not sure how it will connect with this generation of teen readers.

I liked so much about this book, and really enjoyed reading the story told from multiple perspectives, but there one quirk that made it a little tough for me to get into right away was all the pop culture references which could date it too quickly, but after about 100 pages, that changed and then I was so hooked that I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters I was supposed to dislike, I did. The characters I was supposed to like, I did. The characters I was supposed to change my mind about, I did. The characters I was supposed to cheer on, I did. The characters who were supposed to surprise me…well, that’s where things didn’t go quite that way for me with all of them. I did feel that it was a little predictable in some ways, but in other ways was unpredictable. However, it could just be that I’m getting really good at reading those foreshadowing clues, or they were pretty obvious because of the idea and style of the story, but either way, it was still fun to read. Basically, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is pretty much a takeoff on teen movies, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I mean, any book that begins each chapter with a quote from a movie, which proceeds to be the lesson for that chapter, is pretty open about telling you that it’s going to follow a pretty standard movie-like story arc.

The multiple voices telling the story made it that much more interesting and entertaining, and for the most part, each voice was pretty distinct in its tone. Max and Kylie are the big stars of this book, though, and I felt for them and enjoyed their discoveries. Their one night in Mexico was so sweet with all of their conversations and opening up that it made me root for them to figure it all out and be there for each other. That being said, there were a few secondary storylines that I’ve not seen so often and were a pleasant surprise to me. Namely, Will as the out gay best friend, who is still working through some issues and actually trying to find himself (which may not be as he appears to show it in the beginning), and Jake, the little brother with Asperger’s. I actually felt that Jake’s few chapters, when we saw into his mind and thinking, were some of the strongest of the whole book.

I cheered for Kylie’s graduation speech at the end (and wanted to snag some takeaway quotes for my classroom walls), and rooted for everything to turn out as it did. FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… is an enjoyable ride of a story. It has some mature scenes that make it not so much a younger middle school book, but I’d be interested to hear what some older teen readers think of it. I would pair it with DITCHED: A LOVE STORY by Robin Mellom, which it, in fact, reminded me of quite a bit, and at the end found a sneak peek for in this book, so I’m not the only one thinking they’d be a good fit!

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER… would make a great beach/summer read. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you read/have read this one!

Title: WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON
Author: John Green & David Levithan
Publisher: Dutton Books (a Penguin imprint)
Release Date: April 6, 2010
Number of Pages: 320
Source of Book: Received ARC at the ALAN Workshop 2009
Author’s Website: http://johngreenbooks.com   www.davidlevithan.com

Goodreads Summary:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them both legions of faithful fans.

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First of all, I need to say, these two authors are both amazing in their own right, but put them together and you get an explosion of awesomeness. However, they definitely don’t pull any punches with their writing – it’s very mature (in content and theme), intelligent, and in your face. The pacing never lets you put the book down as you first wonder how the two Will Grayson characters are going to meet and then, once they do, how this epic high school musical is going to be pulled off at the end and where that will leave all of the various relationships.

This collaborative novel is written in alternating chapters between the two Will’s voices. Stylistically, the two Will’s are distinguished not only by their uniquely strong voices, but also the format in which his chapter was written (Will #2 does not use any capitalization or quotation marks and writes in an instant messaging style for dialogue). They are fresh, honest, confused, damaged, conflicted, real teen voices. One is gay, one is straight with a gay best friend. I appreciated so much that it just was that way-it didn’t feel forced or put in to preach about-it just was. Another aspect that I appreciated was the way in which Will #2’s depression was handled and explained. I think it’s important for teens to see this in characters they read about and to better understand it for themselves and how they handle friends that may deal with it. It’s more than just feeling down, it’s being depressed mentally, and Will explains that really well.

The characters are dealing with relationships (friendly and romantic (gay and straight)), truth, peer pressures, and figuring out who they really are and how to honestly be that person in this world. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story set with the backdrop of Chicago while taking place in the classrooms and halls of the high schools, the homes, the computers, the phones of these characters. The cast of characters are all well-written, engaging, entertaining, multi-dimensional, and real. It’s humorous, it’s serious, it’s frustrating, it’s enlightening, it’s wonderful. It’s about love – both romantic and platonic – and the ways in which we can show that to others and help support and stand up for those we love. The ending will make you want to stand up and cheer for these characters you’ve grown to adore.

Title: ASH
Author: Malinda Lo
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Release Date: August 11, 2009
Number of Pages: 264
How I Got It: Free Hardcover at ALAN Workshop
Author’s Website: www.malindalo.com

Goodreads Summary:
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
*************************
I had heard this title quite a bit and was looking forward to reading it once I got it.  This book has lyrical writing creating a fantasy world retelling of the Cinderella story. I enjoy reading retellings of Cinderella stories, the classic little-girl fantasy, and this one took it in a completely different direction. The story just flows with gorgeous detail and a real struggle between two worlds for Ash. I was pulled into the story because of the writing and the main character from the beginning, as I compared it to what I expected of a retelling. Following Ash’s journey, and the two options she had to choose between, created a dynamic that kept me reading. I thought the LGBT aspect of the story was beautifully and subtly done. It was honest and true and realistic. When I heard Malinda Lo speak, she said that in the world she created it was completely accepted as a part of their society because it wasn’t anything people thought twice about. That’s why it’s not made to be a big deal in the book. I felt bad for Ash for her circumstances in the beginning, but appreciated when she got out there and started making her own choices. Lo’s lyrical fantasy world is calming and beautiful.

3.5 STARS for ASH

I also got an ARC of the prequel Huntress, releasing on April 5, 2011, and am looking forward to revisiting this world when I read that one.

Title: DASH AND LILY’S BOOK OF DARES

Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 26, 2010
Number of Pages: 272
How I Got It: In my free box of books at the ALAN Workshop


I’m so glad I chose to read this book just after Thanksgiving because it’s such a great, feel-good story that takes place from right before Christmas to right after New Year’s. It’s such fun to read these kinds of stories around the holidays. From the authors of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List comes their new collaborative story, told in alternating points of view chapter by chapter. Dash and Lily are both high school students in New York City who are home without parents for the holidays. Dash and Lily are both looking for someone who understands them and someone to share their time and thoughts with. Dash and Lily have not met when this story starts, and don’t actually meet until about halfway through, because Dash and Lily are communicating via messages written in a notebook and dares to each other and clues to find the next hiding spot. Dash first finds the notebook at his favorite bookstore as he’s browsing the shelves, and there are clues to hidden places – and with nothing better to do he figures them out and discovers the notebook is from Lily. She’s looking for a guy that will be right for her, and figures if someone has gone far enough to get through all of the clues, he just might be the right one. Intrigued, Dash writes her a lengthy message back and starts them on their path to exchanging the notebook back and forth. They continue to dare each other to go deeper and reveal more about themselves and their dreams and desires. As their messages get more in depth, the reader learns about each of them just as they are learning about each other. This book has it all: adolescent awkwardness, romantic entanglements, missed opportunities, friendships changing, family discoveries, and above all, the realization that sometimes you need to grab the opportunity and make it work for you, instead of waiting for it to happen to you.


This was a really enjoyable book with a great cast of likeable and funny secondary characters supporting the antics of the two main characters who I was rooting for throughout the book. Dash is a highly intelligent character who uses big words and is very thoughtful. He is a character that is not your typical “leading man” for a romance story, in fact he is often described by others as “surly;” however, it is obvious that he is just a very in-his-head kind of guy. Lily is confident in herself and her uniqueness of style and attitude and able to accept that she is not the “popular” type; however, she comes to discover that the way she’s looking at the world isn’t necessarily the way the world is looking at her. Both are mature, intelligent characters who are very accepting of others and working to figure out the status of their family, friend, and romantic lives. 


These two authors make a great writing pair. Their plot continues to move forward without the generic or stereotypical teenage angst or drama events. The story feels real and honest. Neither one is ever sure if they or the other will live up to their notebook selves. Can they be that honest in real life also? New York City itself becomes a character in this story and the setting adds to the romantic nature of what happens throughout the book.  I haven’t read either of their other books, but I will definitely be picking them up.


4 1/2 STARS for DASH AND LILY’S BOOK OF DARES

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 
I love Sherman Alexie’s voice – I’ve loved his writing and movies for a long time, so I was excited to finally read this book.  It is a fabulous book – I can see why it won the awards it did – a must-read! Handles issues of race issues, adolescent boys, high-school, friendships, family, etc in a humorous and sensitive way. I will recommend this to all of my students to read with a caution of some mature concepts.  5 Stars


My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park  by Steve Kluger
For the more mature reader – great book told from multiple points-of-view with three high-school friends who are the main characters. They are almost seniors, and writing an English paper on their most excellent year – all three write about their freshman year and the flashback part of the story is told through their journal entries from freshman year English class.  I really like the voice and methods that the story was told in with letters and emails and instant message chats and journals. Deals with coming out of a gay character in a realistic and sensitive way. It’s a book about relationships and discovering who we really are. Made my top books list for the year.  5 Stars

Gone by Michael Grant
I expected this to be a dystopian along the lines of Lord of the Flies; however it threw me off with the supernatural parts of it that I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed the basic storyline of a town where everyone over the age of 14 disappears one day, and how the kids survive, but didn’t like the supernatural parts of it so much – they distracted me from the main plot. I will probably read the sequel though because I did get drawn in by some of the main and secondary characters. 3 Stars

NUM8ERS by Rachel Ward
I really, really wanted to like this book about a girl who sees a string of numbers every time she looks at a person’s eyes. On the day her mother died, she learned that the numbers stand for the day that person is destined to die.  I knew going in that it was a book from England, so some of the words would be different. However, I wasn’t quite expecting it to be such an on-the-run story, and I wasn’t hooked into the love interest storyline, which became more of a focus at the story moved on.  Overall, I was disappointed in the twist at the end. Several times I wanted to abandon, but forced myself to finish it. Overall, it’s an OK book for me. 2 Stars

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
I’ve like John Grisham’s adult books, so I was really intrigued to read this one.  There’s just something about series books that are obviously intended to be a series from the start so the ending feels a little incomplete that throws me off sometimes, and this is one of those.  Overall, the story was cute with Theo and all of his knowledge of the law and his ability to be in with the judges and other court workers when a big trial is starting. There is quite a bit of law speak in this book, but it is explained pretty well. The plot kept moving fairly well and kept me interested. Overall, I think this is a book for those students who like to watch the procedural shows on TV and would be interested in trial stories and a new series. 4 Stars

Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater
I love, love, love Maggie Steifvater’s writing!  I first discovered her when I heard her speak at a conference and got an advance copy of Linger, so of course I had to go buy Shiver and read it right away (stories with werewolves). As soon as I read them, I knew she was one of my favorite authors, and I recommended the series to all of my students and coworkers.  So, this summer I wanted to go back and read her first books (stories with faeries), Lament and Ballad.  I really enjoyed both of these books: the writing drew me in, I was invested in the characters and what would happen to them, the suspense in the plot and wondering how these human characters would deal with the faeries kept me reading, and I was eager to read the second once I had finished the first.  All of these things are what I want in a book. i enjoy reading books with paranormal/fantasy romance aspects, especially ones by Maggie Steifvater, and these didn’t disappoint!  5 Stars


The Last Thing I Remember (The Homelanders) by Andrew Klavan
I picked this book up because I saw the cover in the bookstore and the back summary made me think this might be a good suspense/adventure series that would engage eighth grade boys. Mostly I think it will, but I was a little disappointed. I felt that the beginning, when Charlie wakes up in a room being held prisoner, all beat up, doesn’t know what is going on, and doesn’t remember how he got there was a great start especially as he’s trying to escape and figure out what’s happening. It flashes back to the last day he remembers in alternating chapters. The problem that I had was that after he escapes and is on the run it got very slow for me.  It wasn’t until almost the end that the plot picked up again and we started to get answers on who these terrorists were. By the end I was a little disappointed because I didn’t get as many answers as I would have like on how Charlie ended up there.  I will probably recommend it to boys looking for adventure books, but ask them to read the second one in the series and let me know how it is.  3 Stars

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 
Re-read these two for the second time in anticipation of Mockingjay‘s August release, and so glad I did.  It was nice to catch back up on the story of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale after one and two years since I read them, and reminded me of why this is one of my all-time favorite series! 


This series is one of the best dystopian stories I’ve read – a story taking a country similar to ours and putting it in a near future in which the world has changed in some way in which is is supposed to be better and is controlled by a different leading organization than our current governmental structure. 


In The Hunger Games, the country is run by The Capitol – the only area of the country in which they have enough money and food to live a good life. To remind the twelve districts of the failed rebellion from years ago and to make sure they don’t rebel again, they hold the annual Hunger Games, a televised event that everyone in the country watches, in which one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12-18, from each of the districts, enters the game world and fights to the death. The winner is set for life and gets food for his or her entire district. When Katniss goes to the games, things change not only for her, but for the entire country of Panem. If you’ve been waiting to read these books, now that the third one will be out, it’s time to read them all in a row.  5 Stars

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
I loved Perfect Chemistry so much that I definitely wanted to read the sequel and learn Carlos’ story. Overall I liked it, it’s a good romance escape novel, but was pretty similar in storyline to the first book. (See full review blog post)  4 Stars

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Enjoyed the new series with Egyptian mythology from the author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. (See full review blog post)  4 Stars