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Overview
Where Did They Meet?
It was on a plane. It was at Starbucks. It was in physics class. It was during the war.
How Did They Meet?
It was a setup. It was completely random. They were dancing. One of them ordered a pizza and the other showed up.
What Happened?
It was instant. It took time. It was a disaster. It lasted.
In this new gathering of stories, award-winning author David Levithan writes all about love, and about all kinds of love. From aching for the one you pine for to (reluctantly) being the one pined after, from standing up and speaking up for the one you love to the pure joy and happiness delivered on the smile of someone else, these stories explore the mysterious magnetism that draws people together in ways both expected and unexpected.
Love is a varied, complicated, addictive, volatile, scary, wonderful thing ... and it's all on display in How They Met, and Other Stories.
Synopsis
Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a confection from David Levithan that is sure to have fans of Boy Meets Boy eager to devour it. Here are 18 stories, all about love, all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside out and upside down.
What is love? With this original story collection, David Levithan proves that love is a many splendored thing, a varied, complicated, addictive, wonderful thing.
Publishers Weekly
With entries dating back to Levithan's (Boy Meets Boy) student years, this diverse collection gathers 18 stories about love: gay, straight, young, old, inspiring, silly, heartrending-one is even written in a mix of verse and song lyrics. In "Breaking and Entering," Peter misses his ex-boyfriend, now away at college, so he sneaks into his house and falls asleep in his bed, while in "Flirting with Waiters," a 12-year-old girl falls for an older pizza boy, saying, "It was enough for me to have Seth come to my housein his own carand say 'the usual' with a smile." Even the early entries showcase his trademark love of wordplay (in "A Romantic Inclination," written when the author was a high school junior, physics students James and Sallie decide not to pursue each other because "the friction of a merging of their hearts wouldn't be beneficial. It would be theoretically and realistically wrong." They demonstrate, too, his love of fantasy: in the story he wrote in his last year of high school, the somewhat jejune "Memory Dance," elderly Mary literally flashes back to when love was new. Throughout, the author quickly brings his characters to life, and he explores concepts that will resonate with teens, such as the randomness of love ("Person after person after person... they all converge at one moment, irrevocably changing the course of a thousand more lives. As it is with accidents, so it is with love"). Sweet, sometimes bittersweet, these stories will leave readers satisfied. Ages 14-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEditorials
Publishers Weekly
With entries dating back to Levithan's (Boy Meets Boy) student years, this diverse collection gathers 18 stories about love: gay, straight, young, old, inspiring, silly, heartrending-one is even written in a mix of verse and song lyrics. In "Breaking and Entering," Peter misses his ex-boyfriend, now away at college, so he sneaks into his house and falls asleep in his bed, while in "Flirting with Waiters," a 12-year-old girl falls for an older pizza boy, saying, "It was enough for me to have Seth come to my housein his own carand say 'the usual' with a smile." Even the early entries showcase his trademark love of wordplay (in "A Romantic Inclination," written when the author was a high school junior, physics students James and Sallie decide not to pursue each other because "the friction of a merging of their hearts wouldn't be beneficial. It would be theoretically and realistically wrong." They demonstrate, too, his love of fantasy: in the story he wrote in his last year of high school, the somewhat jejune "Memory Dance," elderly Mary literally flashes back to when love was new. Throughout, the author quickly brings his characters to life, and he explores concepts that will resonate with teens, such as the randomness of love ("Person after person after person... they all converge at one moment, irrevocably changing the course of a thousand more lives. As it is with accidents, so it is with love"). Sweet, sometimes bittersweet, these stories will leave readers satisfied. Ages 14-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationChildren's Literature -
Here we have eighteen love stories about all kinds of love—straight, gay, young, old, unrequited, and passionately returned. At times, this collection is delightfully humorous. Meet two extraordinary matchmakers: six-year-old Arabella, who continually loses her babysitters because she is so amazing at setting them up with the perfect match, and the legendary Mr. Schwartz, an airline ticket agent who (when he thinks it will work) shuffles seat assignments so those who might connect are seated together. "He didn't do it often, but when he did, legend said that he almost always got it right." These stories are filled with hope, heartbreak, betrayal, fierce loyalty, acceptance and loss. When Lucy realizes she is into girls, it is scary to let go of all the things she is supposed to be and all the things she is supposed to want. "Suddenly you have to say, "I'm sorry, but this role isn't right for me." Book selectors should be aware that this contains obscenities as well as implied sexual activity. A possible choice for any book collection intended for gay teens. Reviewer: Anita Barnes LowenVOYA
With good reason, fans of Levithan will be waiting in line for his latest book. He writes of something about which everyone cares: love. Although each chapter is a different narrative, themes of love won, lost, betrayed, discovered, rejected, and embraced thread the work together to make these short stories read like chapters in an ongoing tale. Levithan's personal love story at the end brings the book full-circle. Levithan unveils love in all its forms and degrees of emotion. Readers move from the depths of despair and anger to the highs of pure joy and unabashed happiness. In its mostly complicated but sometimes simple way of playing out, love reveals as much as it conceals in these stories. Anyone who has ever doubted love, felt hurt or humiliated by it, or looked for a quick exit from its clutches will find something to relate to here. Likewise, those who have ached for love that they thought would never come, only to see it arrive when least expected, will also find their story. The many faces of love felt by various kinds of people are found in these pages. Like the notes Levithan made as a teenager that became the seeds of love stories he passed around to friends, expect this book to make its rounds. Whether to validate or deny a love experience, teens will be happy to meet characters that have gained or lost the world in this pressing emotion we call love. Reviewer: Elaine J. O'QuinnSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
These 18 short stories are about love-from unrequited, to longing, to being smitten, to family love and friendship. Levithan leaves no form untouched, and tells each tale passionately. This collection contains stories with such poignancy, brilliance, and warmth that anyone who has ever been in love (or wished they were) will enjoy them. In one selection, a teen awkwardly waits in line to catch the eye of a handsome Starbucks barista behind the counter. In another, Lucy learns what it is like to feel a broken heart, but comes out an independent, self-sufficient young woman. A Chinese-American girl is fixed up by her parents with the son of a Chinese business partner; two stories later, a gay boy tries to figure out the difference between lust and love. The portrayal of these teenagers' feelings across different sexual orientations and races is at once believable and accurate. An excellent choice for fans of Levithan's Boy Meets Boy (2003), Rachel Cohn and David Levithan's Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist (2006, both Knopf), and Francesca Lia Block's Necklace of Kisses (HarperCollins, 2005).
—Marie C. HansenCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.