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Description edit see section history

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn... read more

Characters edit see section history

  • Paul: The main character who falls in love with Noah.
  • Noah: The perfect boy forl Paul; artistic, calm, loving, romantic, sweet.
  • Infinite Darlene: Star quarterback on the football team and a diva in heels in the hallways. Used to be Daryl Heisenberg.
  • Joni: Paul's best friend who may not be his best friend anymore
  • Tony: Paul's other best friend who has super-strict religious parents that disapprove of their son's sexuality
  • Kyle: Paul's ex that won't go away
  • Chuck: Joni's new boyfriend
  • Ted Halpern: Joni's on-off boyfriend, now off for good
  • Rip: The school bookie who sets the odds
  • Jay: Paul's older brother
  • Claudia: Noah's overprotective little sister.
  • Ms. Farquar: Paul's third-grade teacher.
  • Zeke: Paul's Gaystafarian singer friend.
  • Mrs. Benchley: Paul's kindergarten teacher.
  • Greg Easton: Add a description of this character.
  • Cody O'Brien
  • Trilby Pope: Infinite Darlene's arch-nemisis
  • Coach Ginsberg
  • Sarah: Noah's childhood imaginary friend.
  • Thom: Paul's childhood imaginary friend.
  • Mr. B: Paul's Physics teacher.
  • Lyssa Ling: Head of the school's committee on appointing committees.
  • Dave Davison: Former architect of the Dowager Dance.
  • Pitt: Noah's ex-boyfriend.
  • Spiff: Proprietor of Spiff's Videorama.
  • Ms. Kaplansky: Paul's French teacher.
  • Mary Anne McAllister: The girl Kyle dated after Paul.
  • Mary Catherine Elizabeth: One of Tony's schoolmates.
  • Tom: Kyle's uncle. Husband to Maura.
  • Maura: Kyle's aunt. Married to Tom.
  • Laura: Mutual friend of Paul and Joni.
  • Javier: Co-proprietor of the tune store. Partner to Jules.
  • Jules: Co-proprietor of the tune store. Partner to Javier.
  • Amy: Best friend of Emily. Called the Indigo Girls at the school, even though straight.
  • Emily: Best friend of Amy, called the indigo girls even though they are straight.
  • Amber: One of the Club Kids.
Show all 36 characters
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Quotes edit see section history

  • “I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave.”
    Paul
  • “Sometimes I feel like fate is dictated by irony (or, at the very least, a rather dark sense of humor).”
    Paul
  • “With some break-ups, all you can think about afterwards is how badly it ended and how much the other person hurt you. With others, you become sentimental for the good times and lose track of what went wrong.”
    Paul
  • “His books are kept on freestanding shelves hung at different angles on a sea-green wall. They defy gravity, as good books should.”
    Paul
  • “Kyle could take lessons from Jasmine – she’ll fall for anybody, guy or girl. The hitch is that the person has to be on the rebound from a serious break-up. Something about this fragile-yet-vindictive state entrances her.”
    Paul
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • We pencil-sketch our previous life so we can contrast it to the Technicolor of the moment.
    Highlighted by 44 Kindle customers
  • If there's no feeling of fear, then there's no need for courage.
    Highlighted by 38 Kindle customers
  • I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave.
    Highlighted by 31 Kindle customers
  • “What you feel is absolutely right for you. Always remember that.”
    Highlighted by 27 Kindle customers
  • “Part of love is letting a person be who they want to be.”
    Highlighted by 26 Kindle customers
  • I made him my everything—he was my new, life, my new love, my new compass point. I guess that's the danger with firsts—you lose all sense of proportion.
    Highlighted by 24 Kindle customers
  • I wonder if it's possible to start a new relationship without hurting someone else. I wonder if it's possible to have happiness without it being at someone else's expense.
    Highlighted by 23 Kindle customers
  • I had never really thought of marriages as things that involved liking. I had just assumed this man-woman arrangement was yet another adult quirk, like flossing.
    Highlighted by 19 Kindle customers
  • We found out a long time ago that we weren't meant to fall in love with each other. But a part of me still fell in hope with him. I want a fair world. And in a fair world, Tony would shine.
    Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers
  • I know Joni's brought us here because sometimes you just have to dance like a madman in the Self-Help section of your local bookstore.
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
Show all 15 quotes from this book

Organizations edit see section history

  • Joy Scouts: When the Boy Scouts of America decided that homosexuals had no place in their ranks, the town set up their own version that accepted people no matter who they were - the Joy Scouts.
  • P-FLAG: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.

First Sentence edit see section history

9 P.M. on a November Saturday.

Glossary edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. David Levithan (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc
Country: U.S.A
Publication Date: 2003
ISBN: 0375824006
Page Count: 192

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3562.E922175 B69 2003
  • Dewey: 813.54

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Teen Literature

Books Cited by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Of Mice and Men
  • The Lost Language of Cranes
  • Equal Affections
  • A Place I've Never Been

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