Tag Archives: boarding school

Review: Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

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Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg

Openly Straight
Bill Konigsberg
Arthur A. Levine Books
Published May 28, 2013

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Openly Straight

Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He’s won skiing prizes. He likes to write.

And, oh yeah, he’s gay. He’s been out since 8th grade, and he isn’t teased, and he goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that’s important, all Rafe really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but not the headline, every single time.

So when he transfers to an all-boys’ boarding school in New England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret — not so much going back in the closet as starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate break down. He meets a teacher who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn’t even know that love is possible.

This witty, smart, coming-out-again story will appeal to gay and straight kids alike as they watch Rafe navigate feeling different, fitting in, and what it means to be himself.

My Review

This book has been on my reading list for a LONG time, but once I realized it’s by the same author as THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS, I really wanted to read it.

OPENLY STRAIGHT explores elements of identity not often explored in the YA I’ve read. It’s not just about coming out or how we sometimes distill a person’s identity down to one thing. The idea that sometimes parts of us that feel incongruent with other parts of ourselves resonated with me. Like we can’t be both those things in the same room with people in the same way at the same time.

For Rafe, mainly this had to do with how he felt other guys perceived him as an out gay kid. When he had an opportunity to connect with other boys without them knowing he was gay, he had a different experience, one that had value in a different way. I liked that as he explored that, he realized while there was a barrier between him and other guys if they knew he was gay, not telling them also created a barrier, too. Anyway, there were a lot of great ideas in and around that conflict that were definitely worth reading.

I also, of course, loved Rafe and Ben. I loved the way their friendship developed, and the fact that they had this beautiful emotional closeness. Rafe’s roommate and his best friend were lots of fun, too. I really enjoyed the banter between them.

Rafe is a messy character who’s learning a lot about himself. He has some selfish attitudes and doesn’t always do right by his friends, but the way things play out shows he’s beginning to turn a corner and pursue healthier ways to relate to people. And healthier ways to think about himself.

Conclusion

All in all, I liked this book. As I put together the links for this review, I realized that OPENLY STRAIGHT has a sequel! And it’s Ben’s point-of-view! So, I will absolutely be reading that book which is called HONESTLY BEN.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Rafe is gay and Jewish. One minor character is Black. Rafe’s best friend, Claire Olivia is Latina. Other minor characters are gay or possibly bisexual.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to sex. References to sexual touching.

Spiritual Content
Brief references to Rafe being Jewish.

Violent Content – Content warning for homophobia.
At a PFLAG dance, Rafe sees some boys who repeatedly use a homophobic slur. He witnesses another closeted gay boy being harassed and mocked.

Drug Content
Rafe and his friends drink alcohol. Rafe mentions having been high on pot once.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: This May End Badly by Samantha Markum

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This May End Badly
Samantha Markum
Wednesday Books
Published April 12, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About This May End Badly

Pranking mastermind Doe and her motley band of Weston girls are determined to win the century-long war against Winfield Academy before the clock ticks down on their senior year. But when their headmistress announces that The Weston School will merge with its rival the following year, their longtime feud spirals into chaos.

To protect the school that has been her safe haven since her parents’ divorce, Doe puts together a plan to prove once and for all that Winfield boys and Weston girls just don’t mix, starting with a direct hit at Three, Winfield’s boy king and her nemesis. In a desperate move to win, Doe strikes a bargain with Three’s cousin, Wells: If he fake dates her to get under Three’s skin, she’ll help him get back his rightful family heirloom from Three.

As the pranks escalate, so do her feelings for her fake boyfriend, and Doe spins lie after lie to keep up her end of the deal. But when a teacher long suspected of inappropriate behavior messes with a younger Weston girl, Doe has to decide what’s more important: winning a rivalry, or joining forces to protect something far more critical than a prank war legacy.

THIS MAY END BADLY is a story about friendship, falling in love, and crossing pretty much every line presented to you—and how to atone when you do.

My Review

The cover copy on this book made me think of an older favorite: THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN ME IS YOU by Lily Anderson. It’s also a boarding school story with an enemies to lovers arc and loads of banter and snark. I LOVED that book when I read it, so I as soon as I read about this book, I knew I wanted to read it.

And it totally delivered on all my hopes for it. I loved Doe’s character with her single-minded passion. I loved Wells with his mysterious sorrow peeking out beneath the “I don’t care” attitude he had going on. On top of that, I loved Doe’s friends, when they pushed her, made room for her, loved her despite her misguided or hurtful actions. I loved the way they operated as a team and protected one another.

I also loved the banter! The pranks. The teasing comments. The awkward, hilarious conversations. I laughed out loud more reading this book than I have in a long time. It was exactly the story I needed this week.

If you like fake dating, boarding school stories, or prank wars and banter, this book is one you won’t want to miss.

Content Notes for This May End Badly

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Major characters are white. Doe has a diverse friend group. Her dad is bisexual. Some discussion about how single gender schools exclude trans and nonbinary students.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl. References to sex. In one scene, a boy and girl take their shirts off.

A teacher is rumored to be a sexual predator. The girls try to warn new students and look out for each other. One girl comes forward with details about inappropriate behavior on the teacher’s part. The scene is brief, but the girl is obviously (understandably) traumatized when she describes what happened.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Two boys get into a fistfight.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a party and in other circumstances.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THIS MAY END BADLY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Forward March by Skye Quinlan

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Forward March
Skye Quinlan
Page Street Press
Published February 1, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Forward March

What’s worse? Someone using your face for catfishing or realizing you actually do have a crush on the catfished girl?

Harper “Band Geek” McKinley just wants to make it through her senior year of marching band—and her Republican father’s presidential campaign. That was a tall order to start, but everything was going well enough until someone made a fake gay dating profile posing as Harper. The real Harper can’t afford for anyone to find out about the Tinder profile for three very important reasons:

1. Her mom is the school dean and dating profiles for students are strictly forbidden.
2. Harper doesn’t even know if she likes anyone like that—let alone if she likes other girls.
3. If this secret gets out, her father could lose the election, one she’s not sure she even wants him to win.

But upon meeting Margot Blanchard, the drumline leader who swiped right, Harper thinks it might be worth the trouble to let Margot get to know the real her.

With her dad’s campaign on the line, Harper’s relationship with her family at stake, and no idea who made that fake dating profile, Harper has to decide what’s more important to her: living her truth or becoming the First Daughter of America.

My Review

I liked a lot of things about this story. It’s the second marching band story that I’ve read recently, and I really enjoyed dipping into that world again. I also thought that, for a story about a girl whose father is running for president, the politics stayed sidelined, except for where they impacted Harper personally. It kept the story about her instead of being about politics, which I think is great.

I liked Harper as a character, too. She’s timid, especially at first, but she grows a lot through the story. She learns a lot about taking ownership of what she wants and deciding what she will do about it.

The story also explores different kinds of toxic relationships, some more obliquely, and others much more up close. Apologies if this next part is confusing– I’m trying to avoid spoilers.

So. Toxic relationships. This is where my feelings about the book are really split. On the one hand, I thought the way the story explored Harper’s relationships with her parents (and her brother’s history with them) was great. Parent relationships are complicated, and Harper’s relationships with hers are no exception. She has to learn when to challenge, when to find outside support, and when to do what they say until she graduates. Those aren’t always easy decisions. I felt her conflict, anxiety, and hurt so much through the book in those scenes with her parents.

I kind of had a problem with some of the peer relationships in FORWARD MARCH, though. Harper, especially at the beginning of the story, is a really passive character who does a lot of dangerous things to self-sabotage. She doesn’t carry her Epipen or her inhaler, instead depending on others to anticipate her need for them. And she surrounds herself by people who do exactly that and more. One girl searches Harper’s lunch plate for rogue seafood (which Harper is allergic to). While Harper thinks it’s a bit much, she’s also touched at what she feels is this girl’s protectiveness.

Conclusion

As much as Harper grows through the story, I felt like this codependent/passive behavior on her part and the controlling or hypervigilant behavior on the part of the people around her doesn’t really get addressed. She has other conflicts with her friends which also end in an unsatisfying way for me. It felt like instead of really working through an issue, she avoids her friends for a while until she feels bad that they’re still sad and then decides to be friends again.

While I think that makes sense in a high school age character, I wish there had at least been an acknowledgement of the unhealthiness of some of Harper’s actions and relationships.

All in all, I both enjoyed and struggled with things in FORWARD MARCH. I’m kind of split on this one. Readers who enjoyed GET IT TOGETHER, DELILAH by Erin Gough may like this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Harper is ace and a lesbian. Margot is a lesbian. Other LGBTQ+ minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. Reference to explicit text messages (the content of the messages isn’t revealed).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some homophobic and transphobic comments and behavior. Harper worries that her parents will throw her out or force her to go to conversion therapy if they learn that she’s queer. The dean of the school does not acknowledge or respect a nonbinary student’s identity. Some mentions of self-harm.

Drug Content
Some students drink beer at a bonfire. Two people (one student, one not) talk about unhealthy parts of their lives in which they drank too much alcohol and needed to get help.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of FORWARD MARCH in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Spin Me Right Round by David Valdes

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Spin Me Right Round
David Valdes
Bloomsbury YA
Published December 7, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Spin Me Right Round

From lauded writer David Valdes, a sharp and funny YA novel that’s Back to the Future with a twist, as a gay teen travels back to his parents’ era to save a closeted classmate’s life.

All Luis Gonzalez wants is to go to prom with his boyfriend, something his “progressive” school still doesn’t allow. Not after what happened with Chaz Wilson. But that was ages ago, when Luis’s parents were in high school; it would never happen today, right? He’s determined to find a way to give his LGBTQ friends the respect they deserve (while also not risking his chance to be prom king, just saying…).

When a hit on the head knocks him back in time to 1985 and he meets the doomed young Chaz himself, Luis concocts a new plan-he’s going to give this guy his first real kiss. Though it turns out a conservative school in the ’80s isn’t the safest place to be a gay kid. Especially with homophobes running the campus, including Gordo (aka Luis’s estranged father). Luis is in over his head, trying not to make things worse-and hoping he makes it back to present day at all.

In a story that’s fresh, intersectional, and wickedly funny, David Valdes introduces a big-mouthed, big-hearted queer character that readers won’t soon forget.

My Review

Though it explores some heavy issues, SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND was a really fun story to read. I loved Luis’s indomitable personality and his ability to charm for days. Even though I felt like he has a tendency to go on about how pleased he is with himself, he also showed vulnerability in exactly the right places and absolutely had me cheering for him. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat at all the right moments.

The whole Back to the Future, 80s vibe of the book was a lot of fun, too! I loved the celebration of the 80s in all its weird, glorious splendor. I loved the way music was included in the story. More than that, I found myself really drawn in to the way Luis’s life in his present-day and his struggles for acceptance and equality were contrasted against the prejudice and danger the students at his school in the 80s faced. I loved the way that experience impacted him, too.

On the whole, I’m really glad I read this book. There’s so much to enjoy here, and though it’s got some dark moments (trigger warning for homophobia), it’s a beautiful triumph celebrating finding the courage to be your true self and how those choices can impact others for the better.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Luis is gay and Latino. His best friend is nonbinary. Other minor characters are gay, too.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity and homophobic slurs. There are also some instances of crude humor.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boys. References to an affair between a teacher and a student. References to sex.

Spiritual Content
Luis time travels back to the 80s where he attends a Christian school. At that time, being gay is referred to as a sin. Other behaviors, like lying or hateful behavior toward others, are labeled as sins, too.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for Homophobic Slurs and Homophobic Violence
The F slur is used several times in reference to Luis and another gay boy. Luis learns of a gay boy’s death that’s ruled a suicide, but which he thinks was actually murder. A group of boys hit two other boys with rocks and threaten to further hurt or kill them.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Spell Sweeper by Lee Edward Födi

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Spell Sweeper
Lee Edward Födi
HarperCollins
Published November 30, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Spell Sweeper

Magic is messy. A standalone middle grade fantasy featuring a failed young wizard and her chaotically fun cleanup crew.

Cara Moone is a wizard—and she’s basically flunked out of wizard school. Now she’s in training to be a MOP, a.k.a. Magical Occurrence Purger, a.k.a. it’s Cara’s job to sweep up the hazardous dust a real wizard’s spells leave behind.

A real wizard, that is, like Harlee Wu, the so-called “Chosen One” destined to save the magical world. But when one of Harlee’s spells goes awry and leaves behind a rift in the fabric of magic itself, it’ll take more than magic to clean up that mess. Luckily, messes are kind of Cara’s thing.

My Review

I feel like snarky books can be kind of a risk for me, because sometimes I love the quirkiness and confidence of the main character, and other times it kind of grates on my nerves and seems like the character can never be happy with anything. This book packs a lot of snark, but it brings an awful lot of fun, too, so I felt like the upbeat, quirky fun elements created the perfect balance.

I enjoyed the way the relationships developed and watching Cara learn new things about the magical world in which she lives as well as her journey toward finding her place in it. I really liked the idea that certain types of magic leave behind a residue that has to be cleaned by specialists like Cara. I’ve never seen anything like that before, and I loved that at the end of the story, there’s a note from the author about his family member who made his own brooms, too. How cool to be able to bring something so personal to life in a fantasy novel. I loved that it was part of the inspiration.

To be honest, I’m a little bit sad that SPELL SWEEPER is a standalone! I would definitely read another book about Cara, Harlee, Gusto and their friends. I feel like readers looking for stories about schools for wizard students will love this fresh, fun book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
There’s a magical hierarchy at Cara’s school. Wizards get additional privileges and access to certain coursework that Cara, as a Spell Sweeper, doesn’t get.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
There are some made up swears, like “dratch”.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to perform magic or can use objects to perform magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
Some teen characters vape or smoke cigarettes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of SPELL SWEEPER in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

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The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy
Anne Ursu
Walden Pond Press
Published October 12, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy

If no one notices Marya Lupu, it is likely because of her brother, Luka. And that’s because of what everyone knows: that Luka is destined to become a sorcerer.

The Lupus might be from a small village far from the capital city of Illyria, but that doesn’t matter. Every young boy born in in the kingdom holds the potential for the rare ability to wield magic, to protect the country from the terrifying force known only as the Dread.

For all the hopes the family has for Luka, no one has any for Marya, who can never seem to do anything right. But even so, no one is prepared for the day that the sorcerers finally arrive to test Luka for magical ability, and Marya makes a terrible mistake. Nor the day after, when the Lupus receive a letter from a place called Dragomir Academy–a mysterious school for wayward young girls. Girls like Marya.

Soon she is a hundred miles from home, in a strange and unfamiliar place, surrounded by girls she’s never met. Dragomir Academy promises Marya and her classmates a chance to make something of themselves in service to one of the country’s powerful sorcerers. But as they learn how to fit into a world with no place for them, they begin to discover things about the magic the men of their country wield, as well as the Dread itself–things that threaten the precarious balance upon which Illyria is built.

My Review

I went into this book intrigued by the premise and expecting it to be good. Instead, it kind of blew me away. I was totally hooked when I met Marya and her awful family. From the beginning, I knew there was more to her than meets the eye, and I felt like I just had to keep reading to find out what it was.

Also, the tapestries! Okay, so in the book, the weavers and embroiderers have a secret language. They use symbols to mean different things– like a crescent moon placed near the artist’s signature means she doesn’t believe the story the tapestry tells. An embroidered cushion might tell a whole family’s history. I’ve never seen anything like that in a book before, and I LOVE it! I love the way that secret impacts so many parts of the story.

The way that Marya and the other girls wrestle with the way they’re treated just broke my heart. Watching them take courage and band together and be one another’s strength was so awesome. It reminded me a little bit of the spirit of GIRLS WITH SHARP STICKS, but written for a younger audience. I loved that vibe about it, though.

I think readers who enjoyed THE RAVEN HEIR or THE OTHER SIDE OF LUCK will really enjoy this one and its celebration of friendship, equality, and courage.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
I think Marya and her family have white skin. Her best friend at school has brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters have magical ability. For the men, this is seen as an asset, and they are trained and given wealth and prestige. For the women, this is seen as evidence that they’re evil, and they’re sent to an asylum.

Violent Content
A powerful force called the Dread threatens the kingdom. No one knows how it spreads, but it is deadly.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE TROUBLED GIRLS OF DRAGOMIR ACADEMY in exchange for my honest review.