Overview
Presenting a raw, bitingly humorous portrait of high school life that will resonate with today's teens, this novel shows how magic and misery weave through one special friendship.Seventeen-year-old Toni Jo adores her gay best friend, Pan. He is a golden boy - gorgeous, witty, and sophisticated, so different from the redneck troglodyte teenage boys in her blue-collar town. Pan and Toni Jo are inseparable until Caspar, the thoughtful football player in their English class, enters the picture. Toni Jo has longed for a real boyfriend, but she's used to thinking of herself as a hopeless case, the girl who never gets what she wants. Naturally, she's surprised and thrilled when Caspar asks her out. But as their romance unfolds, it jeopardizes her friendship with Pan, which becomes strained and unpredictable. Toni Jo has to wonder if it's she or Pan who has changed. Tension between them escalates as the bullying of Pan leads to violence and Toni Jo is unable to help.
Synopsis
Presenting a raw, bitingly humorous portrait of high school life that will resonate with today's teens, this novel shows how magic and misery weave through one special friendship.
Seventeen-year-old Toni Jo adores her gay best friend, Pan. He is a golden boy - gorgeous, witty, and sophisticated, so different from the redneck troglodyte teenage boys in her blue-collar town. Pan and Toni Jo are inseparable until Caspar, the thoughtful football player in their English class, enters the picture. Toni Jo has longed for a real boyfriend, but she's used to thinking of herself as a hopeless case, the girl who never gets what she wants. Naturally, she's surprised and thrilled when Caspar asks her out. But as their romance unfolds, it jeopardizes her friendship with Pan, which becomes strained and unpredictable. Toni Jo has to wonder if it's she or Pan who has changed. Tension between them escalates as the bullying of Pan leads to violence and Toni Jo is unable to help.
VOYA
The new boy in TJ's class is drop-dead gorgeous, with just a hint of vulnerability, and TJ is instantly attracted to him. No, he is not a vampire. More unattainably, Pan is gay. So instead of lover, Pan becomes TJ's best friend and confidante. In blue-collar Mungers Mills, Pan is isolated by social class as well as sexual preference, and after he publicly comes out in class, he is immediately targeted for harassment by several loutish football players. Pan ignores their hazing, but as TJ begins to date Casper, an intelligent and likeable football star, he is clearly threatened. Pan and TJ must rework their close ties to include Casper. On their second date, TJ and Casper have protected sex. Frequent, safe, "pleasant gymnastics" before the main event, usually movies in Casper's basement - stereotypic guy sex - becomes a staple ingredient, although by no means the critical one, of their relationship. In fact, Casper is only passionate when explaining why he loves to play football. Casper's father dies of cancer; Pan finally retaliates against the two football players and is suspended. His family leaves Mungers Mills and moves to Boston. TJ grieves but is sustained by her relationship with Casper. Marino has a talent for amusing dialogue and creates likeable characters in TJ, Pan, and Casper. Secondary characters are more one-dimensional. Students looking for a pleasant romance will find it here, but not much real magic or misery. Reviewer: Rayna Patton
Editorials
Children's Literature -
In this slow-paced, low-action, heartfelt novel, high schooler Antonia Fazzino befriends the new student, whom she hopes will be her first boyfriend; he soon reveals to the whole class that he's gay. In small-town Mungers Mills, this revelation not only disappoints Antonia, it invites bullying from the other students. Antonia and Pan (short for "pansy") develop a best friendship, but the bond is tested when she is courted by Caspar, a handsome football player. When two bullies assault Pan, she tries to convince him to report the attack to the police. He refuses but, in an amusing climactic scene, takes revenge by hitting them with a tennis racket. Characterizations such as Caspar's attraction to Antonia are unconvincing, and much of the dialogue is stilted. Nevertheless, the characters' discussions about sex and relationships, both heterosexual and homosexual, are frank and honest without being graphic or inappropriate for the age group. The story culminates in a satisfying, bittersweet conclusion: Antonia realizes her feelings for Pan were based on "fago," "feeling both affection and worry for someone at the same time." Reviewer: Cynthia LevinsonVOYA -
The new boy in TJ's class is drop-dead gorgeous, with just a hint of vulnerability, and TJ is instantly attracted to him. No, he is not a vampire. More unattainably, Pan is gay. So instead of lover, Pan becomes TJ's best friend and confidante. In blue-collar Mungers Mills, Pan is isolated by social class as well as sexual preference, and after he publicly comes out in class, he is immediately targeted for harassment by several loutish football players. Pan ignores their hazing, but as TJ begins to date Casper, an intelligent and likeable football star, he is clearly threatened. Pan and TJ must rework their close ties to include Casper. On their second date, TJ and Casper have protected sex. Frequent, safe, "pleasant gymnastics" before the main event, usually movies in Casper's basement - stereotypic guy sex - becomes a staple ingredient, although by no means the critical one, of their relationship. In fact, Casper is only passionate when explaining why he loves to play football. Casper's father dies of cancer; Pan finally retaliates against the two football players and is suspended. His family leaves Mungers Mills and moves to Boston. TJ grieves but is sustained by her relationship with Casper. Marino has a talent for amusing dialogue and creates likeable characters in TJ, Pan, and Casper. Secondary characters are more one-dimensional. Students looking for a pleasant romance will find it here, but not much real magic or misery. Reviewer: Rayna PattonSchool Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
Not much happens to high school junior Toni Jo; she doesn't have many close friends and has never had a date. That is, until Pan moves to her small, blue-collar town. He is everything TJ thinks she isn't-attractive, classy, funny-and, much to her disappointment, gay. Pan is also a loner at school. After realizing that they share the same birthday, they get to know one another and become inseparable. However, when TJ starts dating Caspar, her relationship with Pan changes dramatically. TJ is concerned about Pan being bullied at school and encourages him to report it. Ultimately, she feels torn between her best friend and the boy she's falling for. This promising plotline is partially realized through the witty dialogue between the well-developed characters. Beyond that, however, the novel falls flat. At times, the story moves too slowly, and at others, it feels rushed. Also, the idea of fago (introduced by TJ's English teacher as being "from a tribe in the Pacific Islands" and defined as "feeling both affection and worry for someone at the same time") is too heavy-handed throughout. The author leaves little for readers to interpret on their own. Finally, the attitude about sex seems rather cavalier, which does not mesh well with the deep and meaningful relationships that are formed throughout the novel. Readers interested in relationships, gay or straight, might find more satisfaction in works by Sarah Dessen, Julie Anne Peters, or Alex Sanchez.-Sarah K. Allen, Thetford Academy, VT