“This is a fun, fast read (each chapter is only one to two pages long!) about a serious topic. Fifteen year old Carlos wants nothing more than to have a girlfriend. He has her all picked out, and has had a crush on her for ages. The only problem is that she never notices him, and he is too scared to even try to talk to her. After watching "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", Carlos is struck with the idea of asking Sal, a guy who seems to have many friends among the girls but who appears as though he might be gay, to help him learn how to impress his crush, Roxy.
Sal is openly gay, and agrees to help Carlos "get the girl" (although he warns Carlos that she is not good enough for him), if Carlos agrees to help Sal form a Gay-Straight Alliance at their high school. Carlos agrees and Sal, who is a strong and confident person in his own right, begins helping Carlos to "get his act together".
Carlos difficulties with his parents' divorce, and his confusion about wanting to date a girl and not just "hook-up" are problems in the forefront of this novel. The difficulties of befriending a gay guy in a typical homophobic high school are the background for this story.
Carlos is an easy character for readers to identify with, as he seems like an "every guy" kind of person who wants to do the right thing but isn't always sure he wants to or can.”
Fran C wrote this review Sunday, December 30, 2007.
(
reply |
permalink )
