Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #777871 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 8-11. Koertge returns with memorable, likable characters, spot-on dialogue that is both humorous and insightful, and a subtle exploration of prejudices and issues that will resonate with teens. Elliot, Teresa, and Larry have been friends "forever." As they approach graduation, they plan to run away to California to live, escaping their small-town, narrow-minded friends, and overbearing, annoying parents. Yet each teen begins to doubt the wisdom of the plan. Mary Ann helps Elliot realize that he has been overshadowed by his two friends; Teresa realizes that she wants a romantic relationship with one of the boys (she likes them both), but they see her as only a friend; and Larry realizes that his homosexuality will eventually lead him away from the trio. Koertge deftly balances the heavy issues with respectful humor. After a crisis and its immediate resolution, an undercurrent of foreboding remains, reminding readers that, even as they mature and become individuals, crises will continue to threaten and relationships will continue to strengthen and evolve. A perceptive book about teenage friendship and the struggle for individual identity that will resonate with many readers. Buy several copies. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

About the Author

Customer Reviews

A reassuring fable promising that change doesn't mean the end of previous dreams and friendships
In BOY GIRL BOY Larry, Teresa and Elliot are an inseparable threesome who spend all their time together. The rest of the world sees them as a unit, boy-girl-boy. They have always dreamed of moving to California after high school, coming up with elaborate plans about where they will live, what car they will drive, and what jobs they will work. With high school ending and the possibilities of adult life appearing on the horizon, each begins to wonder who they are when they are apart, or how to tell the others of their secret talents and ambitions that don't fit with the group plan.

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.

Each of the characters has some difficult aspect relating to their proper families. Larry's mother is a medium. Elliot's parents are extremely religious. Teresa's mother abandoned her with her abusive father. There is a sense that they turn to one another for support. The insularity of their friendship protects them from those things that might harm them, but it also prevents them from growing in the outside world.

BOY GIRL BOY divides the narration among each of the characters, rotating between each voice. The exploration of the friendship is insightful, effectively capturing the intensity of adolescent attachment, as well as the relief each character feels at finally getting room to breathe. However, it lacks some of the anguish that occurs as friendships end or change. The characters in this book are also particularly lucky that they are all ready to end one thing and begin another at the same time. Both Larry and Elliot have new relationships by the end of the book, while Teresa seems to be overcoming an eating disorder and starts tutoring.

Ron Koertge, author of numerous books for young adults, has a reputation for writing about unusual relationships between young people without relying on stereotypes or contrived endings. His book STONER & SPAZ about the friendship between a wild party girl and a boy with cerebral palsy is convincing, moving and realistic. BOY GIRL BOY doesn't have the same narrative or emotional punch, but is in many ways more optimistic. The book reads like a reassuring fable, promising that the inevitability of change doesn't always have to mean the end of all previous dreams and friendships.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

Well written
I really enjoyed this book; the voices of the characters were diverse and authentic. I liked the themes of friendship, personal identity and issues of body image and homosexuality woven together. My biggest problem with this book was Elliot's attachment to Teresa and Larry; after he began a high school and became an admired jock I did not think it would have been realistic for him to still be so close to Teresa and Larry. Overall I thought this was a great read, the writing was great, it did deal with a lot of teen issues, maybe too much for a small book but the alternating voices and strong characterization makes this a great choice.