Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan (NY: Dutton, 2010).

One Will Grayson lives in Evanston, Illinois, has doctor parents, and an exuberant best friend named Tiny (who is anything but). Tiny is always in love, and he's gay. Will is not gay, and he has two main rules for his life: keep quiet and don't care too much. When he doesn't obey these rules, things tend to go wrong for him. Tiny wants to push Will outside of his comfort zone, but Will resists.

The other Will Grayson lives in Naperville, which might as well be another state. His parents are divorced, he has to work at a crappy job, he's taking anti-depressants, and he really doesn't care for his one friend Maura. He'd much rather talk online to Isaac, with whom he believes he's in love, though he really doesn't want to admit to anyone that he's gay.

Told in alternating perspectives by the two Wills, this novel deals with all the issues teens obsess over--friends, love, sex, parents, school, the future, etc. The characters are compelling and the plot moves along well. I enjoyed the way the lives of the two Wills come to intersect and how well drawn the emotions are. This is a fabulously readable novel. Don't miss it! Highly recommended for ages 14 & up. Language, sexual situations, alcohol.

Sprout

Sprout by Dale Peck (NY: Bloomsbury, 2009).

Transplanted from Long Island to middle-of-nowhere Kansas, Daniel Bradford has plenty of issues to deal with--his dad's alcoholism, his mom's recent death from cancer, his new kid status, and his own eccentricities--like constant reading of the dictionary. So dyeing his hair green isn't a huge deal, nor gaining the attendant nickname of "Sprout." Really, he doesn't mind it. Some things are a bigger deal though--like being gay, but not out, in a small town high school. And then finding, and losing, love. Sprout relies on his trenchant humor and fondness for word play and writing to cope and leaves a steadfast record in the process.

This is an excellent read for high school and up. Language and sexual situations.

Very LeFreak

Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn (NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010).

Very (short for Veronica) functions at two speeds--fast and faster--and her life revolves around her online connections, which often seem more vital to her than the people in her real life at Columbia University, where she's freshman teetering on the brink of expulsion. Pretty much everything about Very's life is extreme and extremely out of control. She needs a pause, and she gets one when her people stage an intervention, strip her of her electronics, and force her to face her demons. But even that's not enough, and Very eventually ends up at a Vermont rehab center called ESCAPE--Emergency Services for Computer-Addicted Persons Everywhere. Can she reform, or will she revert to her old ways given the opportunity provided by an online love connection who shows up at ESCAPE?

Excellent read for high school & up. Sexual situations, language.