19 Love Songs
By Barbara Schultz,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Emotional collection explores love from all angles.

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What you will—and won't—find in this book.
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What's the Story?
In 19 LOVE SONGS, young-adult author David Levithan collects short stories and poetry that portray the relatable feelings and experiences of teens in love. The protagonists of most of the stories are LGBTQ youngsters, who navigate first feelings of attraction, love, and desire. For example, the first story relates the frustration and confusion of a Quiz Bowl team alternate dealing with unrequited love and feelings of not belonging. In another piece, a transgender football player connects powerfully with a cheerleader. Levithan also looks at the early days of his parents' love story, and the exuberant love between a mother and son on Valentine's Day. Throughout the book, he explores the universality and vulnerability of love from all angles.
Is It Any Good?
As in his beautiful novels, David Levithan offers wonderfully relatable, sensitive characters in this emotional story and poetry collection. At the same time, 19 Love Songs is more generally like Levithan's valentine to the language of love. Through every plot twist and every nuance of feeling, the author shares his appreciation for all the tenderness between people, and the ways we use language to connect. Just one example of this is "Track Fourteen: The Vulnerable Hours," in which Levithan imagines a magical time when every time one person asked another, "What's up?" Instead of saying "Not much," person B would answer truthfully about important events and feelings in his or her life. In so many sweet ways, Levithan invites his readers to imagine what life would be like if people expressed their emotions, if we could be more real with those we love. These are ideas worth exploring, and in Levithan's world, all are welcome to do so.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the romantic feelings in 19 Love Songs. Do the characters seem like real teens you might know? Do you relate to any of the characters?
Why are stories of first love so popular? What can you learn from what characters go through in romantic books and movies?
Why do you think the author calls these stories "Songs" and "Tracks"?
Book Details
- Author: David Levithan
- Genre: Emotions
- Topics: Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: January 10, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 18
- Number of pages: 320
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: January 10, 2020
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