Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that there are stories about gay and lesbian couples, as well as straight couples, in this romantic collection. There is some swearing, and some graphic sexual images, especially in one story about two teen boys who "were boyfriends, but ... screwed all over the place."
Families can talk about short story collections. Ask your kids if they would rather read short stories or a longer novel. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each form? Also, parents could point out that, according to Levithan's author's note, he wrote some of these stories while he was still in high school. This might inspire your teens to try to pen a story of their own -- whether it's about love or not.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kate Pavao
There is quite a variety in this short story collection. And, as you might expect, readers are going to relate more to some of these stories -- and characters -- than others. In one installment, Levithan recounts the sweet stories of how his grandparents met, while in another, two gay boys involved in a mostly physical relationship decide to crash their prom, mostly to find new places to have sex.
Readers are sure to be impressed with Levithan's creativity, from his turns of phrase (such as calling a bored coffee server a "boreista") to his ideas about love's random turns. Teens may be less bothered than adult readers by how juvenile some of the stories are -- both in concept (an old woman time travels back briefly, remembering what it was like to be young and in love) and in emotion (a boy so devastated by the recent end of his relationship that he breaks into his ex-boyfriend's house and falls asleep on his bed). But even these sophomoric stories are sweet (or, as it were, bittersweet), and showcase Levithan's reverence for love, in all its forms.
From The Book
It doesn't have to be on Valentine's Day. It doesn't have to be by the time you turn eighteen or thirty-three or fifty-nine. It doesn't have to conform to whatever is usual. It doesn't have to be kismet at once, or rhapsody by the third date.
It just has to be. In time. In place. In spirit.
It just has to be.
Plot Summary:
Levithan pens 18 love stories, covering a wide range: the narrators are gay, lesbian, straight, young, old, single, married, falling in love, enduring a break-up, etc.
Related Books:
Also by David Levithan:
Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List
More Romantic Shorts:
Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, Nina Malkin, and Hailey Abbott
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Sexual ContentA few graphic depictions, mostly in one story in which a gay teen talks about having a mostly physical relationship. |
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LanguageSome words, including the biggie "f--k." |
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Social BehaviorThere are stories about gay and lesbian couples as well as straight couples in this collection. |
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