Boy Meets Boy

Levithan, David. Boy Meets Boy. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. 185 pages, $. ISBN: 0375824006 (trade) ISBN: 0375924000 (lib. bdg.)

Plot Summary:

For Paul being gay has always been natural and he has always known.  Being gay has not always been easy for Noah, the new student and Paul’s new love interest.  Things are going great between Noah and Paul, until Paul’s ex-boyfriend Kyle comes back into the picture.  Kyle claims he is still in love with Paul and was just confused when he dumped Paul before.  Paul does not want Kyle back, but he wants to help him.  Noah is still getting over a serious relationship and is unsure whether he can trust Paul.

Paul is lucky to have parents who accept him for who he is and friends like Joni and Tony who would do almost anything for him.  Tony is not as lucky as Paul on the family front, his parent believe his being gay is wrong and that he is going to hell.  Tony constantly has to hide who he is from his parents.  Now Tony’s parents will not allow Tony to see or speak to Paul.  To top it off Joni has a new boyfriend, the jock Chet, and is ignoring all her friends for him.  Boy Meets Boy is a story about love and friendship and making it through high school.

Critical Review:

It is wonderful to read a romance revolving around gay teens.  Paul’s town and school, area a wonderful utopia of acceptance but, seem a bit too good to be true.  Paul himself is a role model of self assurance and acceptance and is lucky to have a family that supports him so it takes him a little bit longer to learn how hard it can be to come to terms with one’s sexuality.  Paul cares deeply for his friends and tried very hard to help Tony, Kyle, Noah, and Joni even if he makes some mistakes along the way his heart is in the right place. 

Genre:

Contemporary Realistic

Romance

GLBTQ

Interest Level:

Grades 9 and up

Similar Books:

Weetzie Bat by Francesca Block

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Subjects/Themes:

Gay teenagers

Male teenagers

Friendships

Relationships

Awards/Honors:

ALA Top Ten Youth Romance 2003

Booklist Editors Choice, Books for Youth 2003

Capitol Choices 2004

Lambda Literary Award 2003 Winner Children/Young Adults

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2004

YALSA Quick Picks for Young Adult Readers

Author’s Website:

http://www.davidlevithan.com/

Annotation:

Paul meets Noah and falls in love, but love is never easy especially when you are 15.  When Paul inadvertently hurts Noah, he must find a way to win him back.

Book Talking Ideas:

Boy Meets Boy is a lighthearted GLBTQ novel about love, friendship and self acceptance.  Paul and his friends are a unique and interesting cast of characters who are infinitely fun to read about: Paul’s best friend Joni, the tough straight girl, Tony, the gay boy whose parents’ are in denial, Infinite Darlene, quarterback and homecoming queen, and Kyle, the ex who is confused about whether he is gay or straight.  And then Paul falls hard for Noah, the new boy in school. 

Why I chose to include this book:

I chose to include Boy Meets Boy because it offers multiple perspectives of what it is like to be a gay teenager and diverse examples of relationships. 

Potential Challenges:

As demonstrated by Tony’s parents in Boy Meets Boy homosexual relationships may make some readers uncomfortable.