The Little Bookworm

Paul lives in a town where being gay or a drag-queen quarterback is not given a second thought. He has a core group of friends some of whom are really outrageous (see aforementioned drag-queen quarterback). One night he meets Noah and he just knows that this is the right boy for him. But ex-boyfriends and best friends get in his way and Paul has to figure out how to make all his relationships work.

This is one of those books I've meaning to read for a long time, but the GLBT challenge made it the perfect time to pick it up. In a way this book reads like wish fulfillment. It is a simplified world that Paul lives in. He announced when he was 5 that he was gay after seeing it on his kindergarten teacher's report and he knew it to be true. His parents seem to have adjusted to it well and his life is not challenged in anyway. His whole town is accepting of the GLBT lifestyle. The school quarterback is a drag-queen. On the other hand, Paul's friend Tony lives in a different town with very religious families who don't approve of his lifestyle and won't let him hang out unless there are girls there. It's an interesting contrast between the two guys and provides Paul with some insight later in the book.

I liked the relationship between Noah and Paul. It was sweet and a typical "chic lit" plot except with two boys. Boy finds boy, boy likes boy, something comes between boys, well you know the rest. But the relationship I liked best was Paul and Tony's. It was so real and so right. That is probably what I'll remember most. Well, that and Infinite Darlene cause who can forget her. ( )

I certainly get why this book is a favorite for young queer kids. It's nice to read about this sort of idyllic place, where being queer just isn't an issue. The over-the-top picture of this town is actually really fun and interesting. But there was at least one part of my brain that was having trouble suspending disbelief. It would be one thing if it was set in an idyllic WORLD, but it was just one town, in a normal homophobic world, which just didn't seem realistic. But it would be a great escape for a kid that really needed it.

Infinite Darlene is actually really well done. Yeah, she's over the top and fabulous, but she's also treated completely respectfully and there's nothing wrong with having an image of some totally over the top trannygirl. That was my only issue with the depiction of the transgirls in the book; they weren't called trans, they were called drag queens, which, given how they were portrayed, just seemed really inaccurate. ( )

Synopsis: A light-hearted book about the relationship troubles of teenage homosexual Paul.
My Opinion: The story was easy to follow and there were a few quirky moments, but generally the cattiness, typical teenage personalities and dramas were a little too boring to keep me enthusiastic the whole way through. ( )

To be honest, I couldn't finish the book because I thought it was so awful. I list it as fantasy, because it is completely unbelievable. While it would be nice for the world to be so accepting, I found it hard to suspend my disbelief to get through the entire book. ( )

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.

When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right. ( )