Boy Girl Boy

At first I was a bit put off by this book. Boy Girl Boy is told through three different characters, and I make no qualms in saying that I am not a big fan of this format at all. I think that it is very difficult to pull off. Rarely does an author capable of creating three distinct voices. Koertge is not an exception here.

Elliot, Teresa, and Larry are three very different teens who have all been friends with one and another since they were kids. Elliot is the gorgeous jock, Teresa is the brainy chick who’s been hot for Elliot for a couple of years, and Larry is the token gay boy living in a small town that believes his gayness is a sin.

OK, I realize so far this book doesn’t seem like it would be worthwhile, right? I mean, already, show more I’ve snubbed the writing convention and then I rolled my eyes at the stereotypical teen characters. But here’s the thing. I don’t know why it works, but it does!

Elliot, Teresa, and Larry all plan on escaping their small town immediately after graduation. California seems like just the place to start a new life. Their motivations are all quite different – Teresa’s father has become emotionally empty since the mother ran away and Larry knows that as an out gay man, he needs to go to a larger city where acceptance is closer to the norm rather than prayers. Only Elliot is reluctant about the move. He’s pretty okay with being in the small town for the most part. Sure, he won’t go to college, but he could take over his father’s butcher business. He happens to be pretty good at that, even if he’s not so good at being smart.

It’s interesting to see how the three friends change over the course of a couple of months. Between Larry meeting someone, Teresa fighting her feelings of Elliot, and Elliot caught in the middle of his friends’ dreams and his, Boy Girl Boy is a quick read.

[Side note 1] On the GLBT focus, Larry truly is a great character. Although he is casted as the token gay kid in a small town, there is much more to his personality. He’s clever and caring…you know, essentially believable and a person that I’d probably want to hang out with IRL. The attacks on Larry are also portrayed in a realistic manner without going over and beyond to illustrate a point.

[Side note 2] Terresa got on my last bloody nerve. What is up with me not connecting with the female ladies lately? Sheesh. I have personality, why can’t they? show less

Reviewed by Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Graduation offers the promise of the future, but that same future offers the promise of uncertainty and fear. Three friends are about to graduate. They have plans. There are the plans made with the support and dreams of their families. There is the secret plan known only to the three of them, of an escape to California. And then, there are the separate plans, sometimes made privately, even subconsciously.

Boy - Larry is smart, but he's also gay. His friends understand, but others - not so much. Struggling to be sure he really is what he is takes up most of Larry's time and effort. Maybe California would answer his questions. Maybe not ...

Girl - Teresa is a straight student, show more but she struggles with issues from the past. She's never totally understood why her mother left her. Doesn't a girl need a mother? Her father is too busy with his "Tiny Town" hobby project in the basement to really understand what she needs. Her friends understand her pain. Maybe California would offer her a fresh start. Maybe not ...

Boy - Elliot is going to play ball for U of I. It's his father's dream. Elliot's dream is being a butcher in his father's store. Since he is not the student that his friends are, the academic side of college scares Elliot. Maybe going to California would take U of I out of the picture. Maybe not ...

Koertge tells his story from alternating viewpoints, allowing readers to see into the minds and fears of the trio. The struggle to understand one's life in the past, present, and future is reflected in Larry, Teresa, and Elliot. There is something for everyone in BOY GIRL BOY. show less

I liked how each chapter is told by a different character. Each had some problem with their parents so that made their bond stronger. I can relate to graduating then moving from my best friend I went to Baton Rouge and she went to Thibodeaux. It was a little hard and at times seemed like we weren't communicating but our friendship stood the test of distance. Larry and Elliot have a relationship at the end while Theresa is overcoming an eating disorder and starts teaching. Although I liked this book, it didn't seem real because they ALL had parental issues and they ALL faced a problem at the same time and they ALL started a new life at the same time.

Relax and Breathe’ is exactually what Ron Koertge believes that his characters in his book, Boy Girl Boy, need to doI completely agree with him. Teresa, Elliot and Larry need to stop thinking an just let things happen. However, their hyperactive brains make this a realistic story of three friends during their senior year of high school. Who wasn’t going crazy? Did you know what you were going to do after senior year? I know that I for one changed my mind about which college I wanted to go to three times. The last time I changed I was sitting in physics class watching“October Sky” when I decied that Cabrini Collegeas where I was meant to go. Sadly, that was a huge mistake. It turned out to be the worst year and a half of my life show more except for the friends I made. I do wish that I had come up with a plan like the characters did. Forget it all and start anew in California. That to me sounds amazing. Instead of the me now at college number three, completely in debt and still no true idea what I am going to do. Plus side is thatRider University is where I should have started, but I was like them. I not only wanted, but I needed, to get out of Jersey. It sucked me back in though. Like it sucks everyone back in.

Back to the book. Clearly this is a great and timely read for just about anyone, although it’s meant for high school students. I think parents should read this, too. It reminds them what is going through the minds of teenagers. It lays bare their greatest worries and fears about leaving behind everything that they knew. In this context, running away with the people who mean the most to you to the only place that accepts all (i.e. the genius homosexual, the meat-obsessed jock and the lost artist with eating disorders) becomes a dream come true. In California they would all be accepted. There would be no more bullies, over-bearing parents nor concerned outsiders. Sounds like the perfect plan, doesn’t it? They discover, however, that everything doesn’t have to be perfect in order for them to be happy. They are happy when they realize they still have each other and to them that is all that matters.

As stated, this is a great read for any age group. It’s a fast-paced read that bounces around its timeline frequently. It can be confusing at first, but once you get into the heads of the characters, you begin to understand why it is written this way. The simple answer is that this is how every teenage mind runs : wild, never stopping to relax and breathe. show less

Larry is gay and still coming to terms with his sexuality. His friends accept his sexuality, but he's not sure he can introduce his new lover to them. Teresa is athletic, always running from the things that frighten her, and frustrated that the two most important men in her life don't appreciate her romantically. Elliot is a basketball star who secretly feels much smarter and happier when he spends time away from his two best friends.
This book is a great read for kids going through the times that all kids have to do when growing up. It is a story about growing with and without your friends.

Grade Levels: 9-12 Category: Realistic Fiction

Read Alouds: pp. 1-10 (meet Elliot); 11-15 (meet Teresa); 16-19 (meet Larry); 74-84 (Larry harassed by Billy); 116-124 (after Larry’s “accident”); 158-164 (last chapter)

Summary: Three best friends and high school seniors; Elliot, Teresa, and Larry, decide to leave their small town and move to California after they graduate. Each has their own issue to deal with. Elliot is the handsome wonderjock, but he knows he’d rather be a butcher than flunk out of college. Teresa is a genius who mourns the fact her mom ran away while her father hides in the basement with his miniature hobby version of their town. Larry is gay. As the novel progresses the three discover that maybe they can live show more without each other.

Themes: Larry’s sexuality drives a lot of the plot of this book. First of all, he is a very non-stereotypical character (which I think adds strength to the story line); one of his two best friends is Elliot, the golden boy of the basketball court and high school hunk. We get to experience each of the main characters’ (Elliot, Teresa, and Larry himself) reactions when Larry discovers he is gay. We also get to experience their reactions when he is beaten nearly to death. These experiences show how their friendship transcends the idea of “boy girl boy.” Another major issue in the book is how the kids and parents relate to one another. It seems that Elliot and Larry’s parents expect their children to be something they really aren’t. And it seems as if Teresa’s parents are absent. Her mother has run out on her and her dad. Her dad retreats to his fantasy world in the basement and only emerges when it looks as if Teresa has disappeared. This is reassuring, as it lets us know that despite his preoccupation; he does love his daughter.

Discussion Questions:
Why is the pasture so important to Elliot, Teresa, and Larry? What does the housing development there signify?
How do Elliot, Teresa and Larry react to Larry discovering that he is gay?
Describe the relationship each of the main characters has with his or her parents.
Do you think the drug use in this book is portrayed in realistic manner? What would the story be like without it? Does it affect the plot?

Reader Response:
This is a wonderful book about friendship and how friendships change and grow over time. I loved that. What I hated was that these characters seemed to smoke a lot of weed. Looking over the story, I don’t think that was really necessary to plot (unlike in the book, Stoner & Spaz also by Koertge, where a main character ODs). The main story lines could have easily been written and had the same impact without all the pot smoking. I think the superficial usage of marijuana in this book could send the wrong message to kids. show less

Personal response:

Each chapter is narrated by one of three main characters, emphasizing confusion about friendship, family, sexuality, dreams, and reality.The three friends dream of escaping their small world and traveling to California for freedom and adventure. As expected, dreams have a way of not coming true.

Cirriculum/programming connections:

This book could serve as one of a list of choices for a YA reading group. It is a quick read that would work well for the reluctant young(typically) male or for a LGBTQ young reader.