Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

Title: Fan Art
Author: Sarah Tregay
ISBN: 9780062243157
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Released: June 17, 2014
Page # 355
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"Senior is almost over and Jamie Peterson has a problem: He's fallen for his best friend. As much as he tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where Jamie's affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help him get together with Mason. But Jamie isn't sure if that's what he wants - because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?"
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First Lines: (Quote from the Galley - see final copy for changes)


"'Nah,' I say about the brunette at the next table. 'Isn't she more your type?' But the truth is, even though Mason's my best friend, I don't know his type. He doesn't date - he says it's just asking for drama."
Page 1
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Review:

This book has pretty much everything that librarians love - adorable first relationships, a fight against censorship, poetry and a literary magazine... What more could you want?!

Jamie is head-over-heels in love with his best friend Mason. But no one but his mom knows that he's gay. Then a girl in his art class draws a graphic short story that sends everything reeling. There are Senior pranks, parties, practical jokes, mixed signals... and everything great that comes with high school. :)

So, my favorite thing about this book is insanely silly. It's not the point of the story - or even anything that's mentioned, but it rang true for me. There's something that happens the Senior year of high school that brings everyone together - no matter your social standing. Cliques sort of disappear a little and you have an understanding of each other. That's how mine was and that's how it seems in this book. Maybe I just loved that because it was reminiscent for me. But I think there's something so sweet about a class sort of bonding right before they separate forever. (old person nostalgia)

This is definitely going to be your "feel good" book of the summer. It's such a quick story that you will probably devour it in one beach day. Most of the characters are so sweet and genuine. It's really how you hope life will always be... but this is much more fairy tale than all that. You will want to become best friends with all of the characters. Maybe not one or two, but the majority.

There were a couple of things that didn't seem very realistic to me. Like, a teenager printing out pictures. Not just posting them somewhere online. I mean, I understand getting them printed for your locker or whatever... but to have not seen them before that moment seems unreal. Also, there was a mention of flipping a phone closed. Does anyone still have a flip phone? I haven't laid eyes on one in years. So there were a couple of little things that pulled me out of the fantasy land story. But otherwise I really thought it was consistent. Maybe those things will be changed in the final version.

All in all, this is a fun story about a boy in love. He's awkward, he's adorable, you will root for him till the end. I'm definitely recommending this one for your summer beach read.
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Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Title: Openly Straight
Author: Bill Konigsberg
ISBN: 9780545509893
Publisher: Scholastic
Released: May 28, 2013
Page #: 320
Source: ARC from the publisher

Summary:
"Rafe is from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He hates tofu. He's won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since eighth grade, and he isn't teased, and he goes to schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all he wants is to be a regular guy. Not that gay guy. To have that be a part of who he is, but not the headline, ever single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New England, he decides to become 'openly straight' - not so much going back in the closet as starting over outside it. The transformation works: Rafe revels in a new group of straight guy friends, and the chance to be 'just Rafe' at last. But things get complicated when he falls in love with one of his new friends... who doesn't even know that's a possibility.

A book for anyone who's ever felt trapped within just one part of who they are, Openly Straight is a funny, smart novel about being out, being real, and all the things 'be yourself' can mean."
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First Lines: (quote from the ARC - subject to change)

"If it were up to my dad, my entire life would be on video. 
Anything I do, he grabs his phone. 'Opal,' he'll yell to my mother. 'Rafe is eating corn flakes. We gotta get this on film.'
He calls it film, like instead of an iPhone, he has an entire movie crew there, filming me."
Page 1
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Review:

I picked up this book soully because the concept sounded very interesting. It seems like many teen books about the GLBT experience are about the coming out process. [Take that with a grain of salt, because I haven't read a ton of them.] This book took a whole different course.

Rafe has an awesome life. Great family, great friends, an awesome speaking gig about gay rights, anything he could ever want. But what he wants is to be a normal guy. Not the gay guy. So when he transfers to a new school, he sees this as a totally clean slate. He can be whoever he wants to be. Instead of announcing his sexual preference, he just keeps it all under wraps. And he finds himself having all new experiences. That is, until he falls for one of his new best friends...

Everyone knows what it is like to have one part of your personality completely define you. At least, to people who are only acquaintances. So I sort of feel like this theme is universal. The book talks a lot about labels and how different people fit into them. I really think the author did a great job handling this while keeping the characters lovable and realistic. When people talk about themselves, they would probably attach several labels to encompass every part of their personality. So it's interesting to think about what your one label would be and what you would have to do to change it.

Honestly, I loved everything about this book. The characters are fantastic. I loved how Rafe's parents were painted - sort of the crazy-loving Colorado hippies. Just really fun. And it was great that they were totally okay with anything. It's nice to see parents painted in a happier and supportive light in teen fic. Of course, there's also the super awesome teacher who knows what is going on. Lots of positive adults in this book!

I also would have loved to get a full view of Rafe's life before the big move. I imagine it would be fairly hilarious - considering the friendships he has.Not only does this book deal with the pressure of being openly gay, it also has several characters who are very closeted. It talks a lot about experimentation and trying to figure out who you really are. There is just so much to chew on that I've still been thinking about everything hours after finishing the book. 

I truly want to hand this book to all of my realistic fic fans. I really think it will resonate with many readers. It's a solid story with lots of food for thought. I really hope a book club or GSA/GLBT club in a school will read this book together. There are so many things to discuss! So definitely get this one for your libraries and be sure to hand it around.
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Secrets of Truth & Beauty by Megan Frazer

Title: Secrets of Truth & Beauty
Author: Megan Frazer
ISBN: 9781423117117
Publisher: Disney/ Hyperion Books

Summary:
"When Dara Cohen was little, she was a star. She was the cutest seven-year-old who ever sang Ella Fitzgerald, and it was no wonder she was crowned Little Miss Maine.

Now Dara's seventeen, and she's not so little anymore. So not little, that when her classmates find out about her illustrious resume, their jaws drop. That's just one of her problems. Another is that her control-freak mom won't get off her case about anything. Yet the one that hurts the most is the family secret: Dara has an older sister her parents tried to erase from their lives.

When a misinterpreted English project lands her in the counselor's office - and her parents pull her out of school to save face - Dara finally decides to reach out to the sister she's never met, who now lives on a collective farm in massachusetts. What follows is a summer of revelations, some heartbreaking, some joyous; of friendship, romance, a local beauty pageant; and choices. And as the autumn approaches, Dara finds she may have to let go of nearly all she's ever taken for granted in order to figure out who she really is and what family means."
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First Lines:

"It started with Mr. Fitz. Mr. Fitz was a great teacher. Really. He wanted to inspire us, challenge us, and make us into better people. I think he found his calling while watching one of those movies about a heroic educator going into an inner-city school and turning kids around."
Page 1
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Review:

This book is a really fun, inspirational story that takes you on quite the interesting adventure. Can you imagine finding out you have an older sister that your parents kept from you?! I think this is a wonderful story of a girl who is trying to find out more about her long-lost sister... but ends up finding out who she is and what she stands for.

One thing I really like is the musical accents throughout the book. The main character is a singer and I felt like I could almost hear her humming through the story. It's a wonderful touch and gave me a taste of who Dara was. I also really enjoyed her commentary on pageants and things that she had been involved in. It was also a really cool look at life on a goat farm - the chores, the cheese, the fairs. Just very fun!

The only thing that drove me a little batty about this book was the cover. I mean, it's a cool cover... sure. But there's something about the girl that just didn't look right. Dara is supposed to be overweight - like, obviously so. And it really seems like the girl on the cover very much isn't. Now, I did wonder throughout the book whether this was a body-image situation or something... but I'm honestly not sure. Still, the cover threw me off a little.

The characters in this book are really complex - there's about a million different things going on with each one. And some of them you never really figure out. It's almost like there's enough info to make this into a series. I, for one, would like to see where the characters end up - how things turn out for them. The two characters I had a hard time with were the parents. I pretty much hated them. There was something about the way they raised their girls that just made me so angry. Perhaps they were a bit too much. Too angry. Too self-involved. Too brash. I'm not sure - that could just be my take on them.

Check out Megan Frazer's website - her blog looks like a lot of fun. Not to mention she's a Librarian... which gives her about ten thousand cool points. I know this was her debut novel last year, so I hope to see lots more from her!
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