Favorite New Author

Funny. Witty. Genuine. Charming. Emotional. Cute. Expansive. Real. Adorable. Conflicted. Courageous.

Thanks to Flashlight Worthy Books, I recently picked up Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan.

The book is set in a town that unreservedly accepts all its gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual citizens. The setting is almost a futuristic tale of what America could be, if only we could move beyond bigotry and into a place where the it's okay that the star quarterback is also known as Infinite Darlene, the school's most outrageous drag queen. The plot itself is about love, and loss, and acceptance--and is exactly what I look for in escapist fiction: true emotion that makes me say, "That's exactly it," while making me giggle. So what if my giggles (okay, snorts of laughter) garner strange looks from nearby friends, family and/or strangers.

The voice is strong, the narrator secure in who he is and the main characters are lovable, if fallible. Not all the conflicts are resolved by the end of the story (entirely too soon for me), which left me right where a good book should--wanting more.

As I was reading it, I was struck by how the book reminded me of another one of my favorites, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (no, I haven't seen the movie yet). When I Googled David Levithan, I was not surprised to find he was one-half of the writing team for Nick & Norah. I also discovered that he is currently an editor, as well as an author, and previously worked at Scholastic on the Baby-sitter Club books (which I wasn't allowed to read it, but managed to, on occasion, sneak a book or two home from the library and read under the covers by flashlight...um, I hope my mom isn't reading this...Hi, Mom!).

Although Levithan writes young adult fiction with high-school age protagonists, the two books I've read do not come across as YA. Maybe I'm just a teenager at heart?

He released his first book for adults, The Lover's Dictionary, in January, and I look forward to reading it (in 3-6 business days, depending on how quickly Barnes & Noble gets it to me).

I wish I could be David Levithan when I grow up! What author do you wish you could be?