Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (May 10, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0375832998
• ISBN-13: 978-0375832994
• List Price: $8.95
• I finished this book on Mar. 24

Wow, I'm currently trying to think of my favorite type of candy right now so that I can compare this book to it. Hmm, chocolate truffles? candy apples? chocolate covered cherries? Honestly, I think I am in love. Once upon a time I sat down before class to read a book having no idea what it was about. I read the whole thing sitting there in the hallway at school with rapt attention. When I finished I was borderline weepy. That book was Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (who I am also in love with) and the comparisons don't end there, my friends.
But I digress. I'm not sure how to tell you about this book so that you will get how wonderful, how delicious it was. Paul lives in a sort of wonderful version of the way the world should be, where gays and straights and in betweens are accepted for the most part. In his high school the quarterback of the football team is a 6"4' transvestite named Infinite Darlene, and the clubs at school include the quiz bowling team and a school cover band competition (Dave Matthew's covers, of course). Anywho, like the title says, Paul meets a boy and there is loving and losing and romance ensues. The prose reminds me of Weetzie because of its originality and beauty. It is almost its own descriptive language. I heart the characters and I wish I lived in this town. Not everything is dreamy and perfect, of course. Paul has a friend who lives a town over who's parents cannot accept his sexuality. But of course, there is a sugary sweet ending that makes me think of gorgeous and decadent desserts.
First off, I want to be in a cover band competition. I read this one in one sitting, and if you intend to read it, that's the way I recommend it. It's not long, and it' s a bit like sitting down and enjoying a big glass of delicious wine. (Coincidentally, that's the absolute limit of times I can say the word delicious in one post, I think) I dunno, this book just really got me, I would be lying my foolish face off if I said I wasn't all misty at the end. I would like to share with you a quote, "I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave." That was one of many passages that I had to re-read. Sometimes, in books I find things so beautiful I have to look at them again and let them wash over me a bit. There were many of those in this one.
I am excited to read more of David Levithan's books, and he is slated to be at the book festival too. It appears that his website has not been updated for a while, but it does have excerpts from his books, so that's fun. I also friended him on Myspace.
That's all for me, I'm going to go moon over this book elsewhere.