Stranger Than Fanfiction

No sex occurs, though one character is determined to lose his virginity on the trip and uses a hookup app and another spends the night with a couple of female strangers who may be prostitutes or groupies. Lots of gender issues, as one character is gay and struggling with coming out; another is trans and ditto; and a third has a crush on the trans character but knows nothing of that person's gender identity. The trans character gives an extended lecture on the differences among "fluid," "genderqueer," and "transgender."

Constant strong language, especially "s--t" and variations on "f--k." Also "ass," "goddamn," "MILF." Some of it's for comic effect, as in the case of the Brazilian kid who makes up for his lack of English fluency by throwing in more instances of "f--k." Colfer includes an afterword to parents that says their kids already know the words. One scene involves a punk band called Rosemary's Abortion.

Cash is smoking, drinking, and taking drugs (pills, pot gummy bears) for most of the trip. At various points in the story, the kids also get fake IDs, drink, get stoned, and sneak into over-21 venues. A character admits to having learned his lesson after doing Adderall for finals. Another, explaining the game Never Have I Ever, uses the example, "Never have I ever done a line of cocaine off a CW star's ass."

Parents need to know that Stranger Than Fanfiction, by best-selling author Chris Colfer, is about a young TV star who, at the invitation of a fan, joins a road trip four friends are making from their Illinois home to Southern California before they go off to college. It's Colfer's return to YA fiction after a long stay in The Land of Stories, and it's not for the kiddies or the fainthearted. Strong language is constant, if sometimes comic, and the plot involves smoking, drinking, and drugging by both teen and adult characters. One character is gay and conflicted about coming out; another is transgender and also afraid to say anything. Another has a mad crush on the trans character but no idea about that person's gender issues. Hookups and a hookup app make appearances, though no sex happens. There are quite a few sweet moments and positive messages about self-acceptance, friendship, and honesty as the teens grapple with relatable issues and fears, but they're lessened by the nonstop barrage of slapstick and barrage of plotlines, as well as the sometimes phoned-in storytelling.