Summer Love

May 11, 2015
Nine sweet and hopeful short stories follow the summer romances of queer teenagers. Many of the writers are first-time authors, and the quality of the stories varies. H.J. Coulter's "My Best Friend," about a strong gay-straight friendship, has an appealing premise, though the epistolary format comes across as contrived. Strong characters distinguish Amy Stilgenbauer's "The Fire-Eater's Daughter," set against the backdrop of a traveling circus, though the story ends abruptly. As in many summer romances, there are stolen kisses at camp or during sudden downpours, but just as important are the moments when protagonists learn to love themselves: in Caroline Hanlin's "Something Like Freedom," a Christian teen forced to leave home finds strength to follow his own path without having "to ask anyone's permission," while in Ella J. Ash's "Surface Tension," a camp counselor with his first boyfriend discovers he can have "a belief in the present, not just the imaginary future." Suzey Ingold's "The Willow Weeps for Us," about two English young men who fall in love on the brink of WWII, is a particularly tender tale with many dreamy scenes. Ages 12âup.

June 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-This anthology of love stories is the perfect summer read-it's fast, fun, and will leave readers smiling. The nine entries present characters that identify in a variety of ways. Stand-out stories include "Surface Tension" by Ella J. Ash. Logan is part of the swim staff at a summer arts camp and never imagines he could find love there-or while a teenager at all. Meeting outgoing Dave changes his mind. In "What the Heart Wants," by Naomi Tajedler, Noam discovers her attraction to an art class model, Amber, and isn't sure if that makes her a lesbian, bisexual, or just Amber-sexual. Meanwhile, her best friend begins dating an asexual boy. Other stories feature a revelation at a gay pride parade, a romance set at the beginning of World War II, a traveling fire-eater, a letter to a best friend, a transgender boy finding love on the Cape, an unexpected crush, and a broken-hearted girl seeking solace but instead finding just the company she needs. All of the stories have happy endings and most feature extremely supportive and loving families. In many cases, the main characters come out to someone at some point, but that's not the focus of the stories. These are the first published stories for most of the authors in this collection, and it often shows. VERDICT The writing is somewhat unpolished, but the focus on LGBTQ teens finding love, hope, and happiness makes this a solid addition to all collections.-Amanda MacGregor, formerly at Apollo High School Library, St. Cloud, MN

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