Boy Meets Boy (Library)

What if you went to a school where it was actually alright to be who you really are?

Publishers Weekly

Levithan's groundbreaking novel-set in an idealized high school where kids are free to express themselves without repercussions or embarrassment-whisks listeners into a unique teen scene via the work of this cast of young actors. Though Robideau sometimes sounds melodramatic, and the brief characterization of "young Paul" in flashback is grating, these performers eventually gel into an effortless give-and-take rhythm. As Paul explores his feelings for new crush Noah, listeners meet a crew of memorable characters both gay and straight, wild and wallflower that include the football team's drag queen quarterback (played to comic effect by Joey Panek). Suffused with humor and heart, this recording is bound to get listeners thinking about what it means to just be yourself and truly embrace tolerance. In a bonus track, three of the actors and artistic director Daniel Bostick compare their own high school experience to the one in the book. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

David Levithan has said that with Boy Meets Boy, he "set out to write the book that I dreamed of getting as an editor -- a book about gay teens that doesn't conform to the old norms about gay teens in literature." According to the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program -- and his rabid readers of all ages -- he's succeeded.