Common Sense Media Review
By Mandie Caroll
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Brief, powerful story about sexual identity and masculinity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In DIFFERENT FOR BOYS, best friends Ant and Charlie have been having sex secretly for some time, just as practice until they find girlfriends. But what does it mean that they fool around? And does the fact that Ant wants to kiss Charlie (which is totally against their rules) mean he's actually gay? A new seating arrangement at school puts them in a group with theater geek Jack (who's clearly gay) and football player Josh (who clearly isn't). As the boys talk about sex and tease one another, it quickly becomes clear that Charlie is struggling with internalized homophobia. Can Ant and Charlie keep their secret safe as Jack and Josh notice the weirdness between them?
Is It Any Good?
This spare beauty of a novel is clever social commentary and a gut punch, but also sweetly reassuring. Different for Boys is not author Patrick Ness' typical sci fi/fantasy fare. This fast, realistic read is most notable perhaps for it's use of redaction. There's sex, and characters cuss and use homophobic slurs, but all of it's blacked out, because, as Ant says, "we're too young to read about the stuff we actually do, right?" The other characters are intriguingly aware of Ant's censorship, and they play around with it, cussing up a storm and talking crudely, all hidden behind black boxes. This creates a surprising intimacy with the narrator as readers guess the blacked out words and descriptions, wondering just how much is truly being revealed.
The characters are well-developed for such a short story. Ant's compassion, Jack's mischievousness, Josh's unshakable confidence, and Charlie's conflicted, toxic feelings for Ant are authentic and believable. Roughly drawn pencil sketches echo the rawness of the story. The action builds slowly at first and then bursts open with a shocking betrayal. The author resists a tidy, happy ending, but it does satisfy. A gem of a novel; highly recommended.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Ant's central questions in Different for Boys. When does someone lose their virginity? What makes someone gay or straight? Is "virginity" an important concept to you? Why or why not?
The author uses black boxes to "censor" curse words, slurs, and descriptions of sexual content. How did that affect your reading of the book? Why do you think the author chose to write like this?
Ant seems to understand and empathize with Charlie. What reasons does Ant give for Charlie's poor behavior? Would you forgive a friend who betrayed you? Why or why not?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Tea Bendix
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Empathy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Walker Books U.S.
- Publication date : March 14, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 104
- Available on : Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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