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Boy Meets Boy

Boy Meets Boy

List Price: $15.95
Your Price: $10.85
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Breaks open the "gay teenage novel" category...
Review: (By the way, I'm an adult, and this is my review of a "teenage" novel, so if you're a kid who wants to read what other kids think of this book, you're welcome to ignore this review.)
I kept thinking, wow, this author really did it: He wrote a literary "gay teenage novel" in a field slightly populated with books that are celebrated more for the fact that they're about gay teenagers, yet not very believable or well written. This novel is full of heart and graceful writing. The only thing that bugged me - after I had finished the book and let it settle in my brain for awhile - is a somewhat philosophical quibble: Would the story have been less embraceable if it hadn't been set on its fantastical-yet-almost-realistic plane? I read that the author, who is an acclaimed editor at a major publishing company, wrote the book that he wished someone had submitted to him. So I can't help but wonder if he's still looking for that novel that's set in the real world (whatever that is) and deals with gay teenagers in a literate, realistic way?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Paul is definately gay and has very good sense of self."
Review: A really typical tale of a funny, talented, observant teen who has to deal with all that adolescence has to offer: identity struggles, feuding friends, high school, parental rebellion, crushes, prom... The only difference to the norm of YA literature is that our protagonist is gay. And it simply doesn't matter!

Gay or hetero, there is a place for everyone in Paul's somewhat-utopian-but-could-be-real town, which left me with both a happiness of the possibilities of such a place and the sadness that this reality is so close but so far away. Never preachy, never didactic, this book is smart, FUNNY, and thoughtful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An AMAZING book
Review: Boy Meets Boy is an extraordinary book. Paul, the main character, is a genuinely good person without seeming fake of too perfect. The lesser characters' roles are just as important as Paul's and "The Boy"s. Noah has a whimsical personality and is fun to "be" around. Tony is a cool character. Living with homo-phobic parents is hard for him, and his struggles added on the side to Paul's troubles deepens the story. All of the characters are well-rounded. I read this book in one day and when I was finished I felt light hearted and happy. I hope to see more from this author. Boy Meets Boy has earned the Place Of Honor on my shelves. I reccomend this book to people of all ages, gay, straight, curious, anybody. If you are afraid of or don't like gay people I encourage you to read this book because it really shows anyone who doesn't already know that gay people are just as good or bad as the rest of us. Anyway, now that I am through rambling...READ THIS BOOK! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Kids are struggling with sexuality and gay issues
Review: David Levithan's Boy Mets Boy provides the story of high school sophomore Paul, who attends a high school here the kids are struggling with sexuality and gay issues. Paul finds himself in love with Noah ' and bucking status quo and trends in this story recommended for older teens.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Charming, fun, and hysterical!
Review: David Levithan's quiet, wacky novel is an important debut from a writer who is destined for great things. The premise of the story defies definition; therein lies the simple charm that makes Levithan's writing so captivating.
Paul is a sophomore at a high school unlike any other. The star quarterback of the football team, Infinite Darlene, also happens to be a drag queen *and* homecoming queen, the cheerleading squad performs routines on Harleys (yes, that would be the motorcycle), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids dress and dance better. Paul, himself, was the first openly gay elected 3rd grade president.
The high school and sourrounding community seem fantastical and surreal in their accepting, harmonious ways. Gay and straight kids work and play together; they compete on the same teams, they're in the same clubs, and the *bars* are populated by a whole host of gender-identity combinations.
On David Levithan's website, www.davidlevithan.com, he explains that while this novel isn't fantasy, it is a book about where we're headed, a hopeful tale of what soon will be. His vision for the future is a beautiful, stunning portrait.
This remarkably original novel, in concept, also contains one of the most cherished tales of our time: the story of true love, and the transcendance of all else but that. And while the setting may seem delightfully different, the story is one we all know. The confusion, angst, humiliation, and pure beauty of love. David Levithan expresses this so well in the relationship between Paul and Noah.
With Boy Meets Boy, the author has included the perfect combination of story elements: a dizzyingly unique and surreal setting providing the backdrop for one of the most beautiful adolescent love stories ever told.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I loved this book. It was so good that I read it within two days only taking breaks to eat and sleep. I loved how he portayed every character and that he made you feel as if you were one of the characters. I also loved the fact that in the end he got the guy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My Most Favorite Book Ever
Review: I think this book is a fabulous read for teens. It is a quick, insightful read that lets young gay's know that they're not alone, and shows the straight teens that read it that gay's aren't as different as they may think. It is the first book that i have read for pleasure in many years. Although i have read many books for school, and started reading many books for pleasure i rarely get past the second paragraph. The last time i read fully for pleasure was the chronicles of narnia by C.S. Lewis and that was many moons ago to say the least. This book has blown my previous favorite "The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe" out of the water... and even makes an allusion to the mythical narnia of the aforementioned "Chronicles". All in all this is a great book and i encourage anyone who is, or knows someone who is gay to read it; it will give you that much better of an understanding of yourself and others around you.

[...]

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It should be read by anyone who has ever had a crush.
Review: In an alternate reality where (almost) everyone's sexuality is out in the open and (almost) no one cares, Paul meets artistic, thoughtful ... perfect ... Noah.

For a while, Paul is pretty confused, especially when his ex-boyfriend Kyle walks back into the picture. Paul is lucky enough to have loyal friends who are both gay and straight, along with Infinite Darlene, to help him through his confusion. However, when he needs her most, his best friend Joni enters a controlling relationship and refuses to talk to him. When Paul makes a huge dating faux pas (kissing the ex-boyfriend) and rumors begin to fly, Paul needs his friends now more than ever to help him salvage the best relationship of his life.

BOY MEETS BOY is the book that the teen literature world has been waiting for: it's insightful and funny, with definite guy appeal. Though it deals primarily with homosexual relationships, it shows that many teens have the same questioning thoughts on love and dating, regardless of gender. While Paul's sexuality is undoubtedly important to him, he doesn't dwell on it. The support he gets from his family, as well as his self-confidence, allows him to help his best friend Tony, whose parents do not support him after he tells them he's gay.

Though the main character is gay, BOY MEETS BOY is not a book aimed exclusively at gay, lesbian and bisexual teens. It should be read by anyone who has ever had a crush, has met and almost lost a great person in his/her life, has at least one good friend, or is brave enough to stand up for what he/she cares about.

--- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft Webber


Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Average book
Review: It appears that the author, who apparently works in publishing, found a niche to fill within the YA market, and went for it. While it certainly not even nearly "genius" much less in the realm of great YA literature, it isn't awful. The sad thing is that it is actually a very mediocre book-- it is just that the subject matter-- a gay teen novel not going into over kill on the angst element-- hasn't yet been exploited, so the book, on first look, seems to be more than it is. But the writing is very middle of the road, as is the naive and slightly silly 'optimism' presented here. The book is sadly, in the end, a very mediocre piece of literature. It is a lesson in that mediocrity can be masked by the right packaging, topics of shock, hype or marketing hook.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Totally cool
Review: It's not like this book needs another review, but I've got to put my two cents in. "Boy Meets Boy" is amazing. David Levithan's writing is so flippin' great. It's like the words must have flown out of him. They sing and dance across the page and create wonderful sounds, feelings, etc. It's a simple story, told extraordinarily well.

What a pleasure this book is. I recommend "Boy Meets Boy" to everyone: from 13 to 130 years of age.


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