Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez

(image via goodreads.com)

Citation

Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2001. Print.

Awards

•            Abraham Lincoln Book Award Master List (IL)
•           ALA Best Books For Young Adults
•            Children's Literature Choice List

Annotation

Three high school boys deal with coming out, their senior year of high school, and their plans for the future.

Booktalk

Jason loves his girlfriend Debra, but he can’t get boys off the brain. When he goes to the Rainbow Youth group meeting, he sees Kyle and Nelson from his high school. Great. He knew it was a mistake. Now everyone at school will know he’s – what, exactly? Jason isn’t even sure himself. Kyle couldn’t believe Jason, basketball superstar and his biggest crush, might be into guys. Does he even stand a chance? Nelson isn’t sure why seeing the way Kyle reacted to Jason is making him so emotional. Nelson and Kyle are gay, and they’re best friends, but it’s not like they’re in love with each other. Right?

Jason, Kyle, and Nelson take turns narrating chapters as they go through their senior year of high school, figure out who they are and who they love, and deal with coming out to their families and classmates. What will the future hold for these Rainbow Boys?

(Be sure to check out the back of the book for resources on starting a Gay-Straight Alliance, support lines, and sexual health.)

Teen perspective:

“[The book is] based on 3 teens who are my age, just starting to go to uni, having new life experiences, probably one of the most informative LGBTQ books I've read in the past.” – Sam, 17.

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

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Citation

Von Ziegesar, Cecily. Gossip Girl. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2002. Print.

Annotation

An anonymous blogger narrates the exploits of New York City’s young society elite in Gossip Girl, the first book in the series of the same name.

Booktalk

The legendary Serena van der Woodsen got kicked out of boarding school, and she is back in NYC. The rumors are swirling about why, just the way we like it. Blair Waldorf, her former BFF, has to spend some of her valuable party-planning time to keep Serena away from her charming boyfriend, Nate. These Upper East Side prep school seniors are young, rich, and beautiful – and they know it. Everyone wants to know what’s going on at their parties and in their bedrooms, and I’ve got all the juicy details.

You know you love me,

Gossip Girl.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

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Citation

Armstrong, Kelley. The Summoning. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008. Print.

Awards

• Texas Library Association Tayshas High School Reading List

Annotation

A high school freshman finds herself committed to a group home for unstable teens after seeing ghosts in Kelley Armstrong’s The Summoning, the first book in the Darkest Powers series.

Booktalk

“Ghosts aren’t real. Ghosts are for crazy people. What I saw were hallucinations, and the sooner I accepted that, the sooner I’d get out of here.” (78)

Fifteen-year old Chloe Saunders can see ghosts. After a frightening episode at her art school, she is hospitalized and moved to a group home. However, Lyle House is not all that it seems.

Is Chloe schizophrenic, like the doctors say? Her roommate Liz says she’s haunted by a poltergeist, and is transferred from the home. She appears to Chloe later, and both of them are shocked when Chloe is able to move her hand through her arm. What secrets does Lyle House hold? Who are the other teens that are in the group home with her? Are they all mentally ill, or is there something supernatural going on? Who can Chloe trust? The twists and questions pile up in The Summoning, and you’ll want to race to the end. If you’re hungry for more, dive into the rest of the Darkest Powers trilogy.

(video via cosproductions at youtube.com)

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

image via goodreads.com

Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. New York: Harper Collins, 1989. Print.

Awards

•          2009 Phoenix Award, Children’s Literature Association
•          ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
•          ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
•          ALA Best Book for Young Adults
•          Parents' Choice Gold Award

Annotation

A blonde punk princess from Los Angeles navigates her glitter-filled, fairy tale city with an ever-expanding motley crew in Weetzie Bat, the book that shares her name. This is the first book in Francesca Lia Block’s Weetzie Bat series.

Review

Lanky lizards! Weetzie Bat is not your average teen novel. Although our heroine mentions high school on the first page, we do not spend time in the classroom. Instead, we follow her on adventures across Los Angeles (with a brief pit stop in New York) with her gay best friend Dirk, his grandmother Fifi, Dirk’s partner Duck, and her beau, My Secret Agent Lover Man. A genie pops out of a lamp to grant wishes. A Witch Baby appears on the doorstep. In this surreal world, anything seems possible. 


And yet – the book feels very real. Weetzie has surrounded herself with people she loves, and who love her. Everyone speaks honestly about their emotions, passions, and fears. The book reads almost like poetry and is filled with lush descriptions and catchy slang. Block has created a vibrant, eclectic, surreal world, and I am excited that there are more books in the series to experience it. 

(video by starwarsbuffyccg at youtube.com)