Release Date: May 31, 2016
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (BYR)
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, GLBT
*I received this book as a NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Summary
David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he's gay. The school bully thinks he's a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.
On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long, and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl.
As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means. -Goodreads descripton
The Rundown
Wow!! 2016 is shaping up to be an outstanding year in YA contemporary fiction!
I have to admit that this is the first YA book I've read with transgender teens as the main characters. Let me tell you, The Art of Being Normal set the bar high!
Lisa Williamson took what can be a tough issue and told the story of the everyday lives of two transgender teens in a way that was funny, honest, respectful, and both heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. I really felt like it had all the elements of a good YA coming-of-age with awesome characters who just happen to be transgender.
Although romance does play a role in the story it is by no means the focus. This is definitely a tale of the strong friendship between Leo & David and how amazing it feels to find someone else who truly knows what you are going through. Tense family relationships, bullying, sexuality, and class differences are themes that are also tackled brilliantly.
Leo's character was a lot better developed, but in a way that made the story work. He had already been living as his identified gender for a while and by being new at school, was able to come in as a boy without any of his classmates remembering him before his transition. David, who is a little younger than Leo, has yet to discuss that he identifies as female with his parents and feels trapped in a male body that he hates and doesn't recognize. Even though Leo had a much more interesting story with family drama and his reason for transferring to a new school, David's good-natured heart will win readers over.
Teens and adults alike, especially fans of David Levithan, should add this to their summer reading list!
Rating: 4 Stars! A really great & enjoyable read!
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