Laura's Bookshelf: SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN

One of the best parts about being a debut novelist has been connecting with other children's authors in the class of 2016.

SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN by Jeff Garvin was a book that I immediately passed to my teen. It's a must-read contemporary YA with a heart-breakingly real protagonist.

Pre-order from Indiebound

This contemporary YA launches on February 2. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

The first thing you’re going to want to know about me is: Am I a boy, or am I a girl?

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. The thing is . . . Riley isn’t exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in uber-conservative Orange County, the pressure—media and otherwise—is building up in Riley’s so-called “normal” life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it’s REALLY like to be a gender-fluid teenager. But just as Riley’s starting to settle in at school—even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast—the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley’s real identity, threatening exposure. Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created—a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in—or stand up, come out, and risk everything. 

This chart is oversimplified, but it's a start!
From Transstudent.org

I ached for Riley, who must wake up every morning and discover who they are and how they are going to navigate the world. (Yes, the pronoun is intentional. I'm learning from my teen that pronouns are a big issue for people in the LGBT+ community and their allies. Read more about that at the U. Milwaukee LGBT Resource Center page.) The friends Riley makes at their new high school are also well-drawn, appealing characters who accept Riley for who they are, inside and out, and offer support when Riley is struggling with a threatening stalker.

SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN is appropriate for mature middle schoolers and up.

Who will like it?

• Teens who want to know more about the gender spectrum.
• Anyone who has felt out of place at school (who hasn't?).
• Readers who love first person narrators.

What will readers learn about?

• Even people who are "different" aren't alone. Opening up to others is a way to find friends and support.
• The power of speaking up and speaking out.
• The importance of being true to yourself.

The poem I'm pairing with SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN was first posted as part of the "Humans of New York" series of photographs and interviews. The author is a teen named Puck.

The NY skyline swirls around me,
Cars and brick and tree trunks
mashing together,
glass windows gnash jagged teeth
The body of a dead girl was
found earlier today,
bleeding out on the sidewalk.
Rising from her body came
an awkward boy,
stammering and confused
and full of wonder
and terror all at once
The boy’s grandparents keep
a photo of the boy in a
dark chestnut wig,
all made up and dressed to the 9’s
(They believe her to still be alive)...

Read the rest of the poem at the Humans of New York Facebook page.

And you can read more about Puck at GLAAD.

SYMPTOMS OF BEING HUMAN is available for pre-order at Amazon. Thank you to Jeff Garvin for making the ARC available.

Jack Strong Takes a Stand

Hello, Writerly Friends.

A few weeks ago, I received an email from book marketer Susan Raab. The first line was:

Raising tween boys is a challenge. Humor helps. Best is when you can illustrate the possible error of their ways.

My guy has graduated from 'tween to full on, learning-to-drive, tight-lipped teenager. Which is why this logline was so appealing. Raising tween boys is a challenge. Was I ready to laugh about it? Yes, I was.

Boy, did Susan know her audience.

The email wasn't about a parenting or self-help (or "Help, I'm losing myself to parenting!") book. It was for a new middle grade novel, JACK STRONG TAKES A STAND, "About a teen who stages an on-couch sit-in (and school boycott) rather than let his parents subject him to any more unwanted activities." Hmm.

Read more about Jack at the MacMillan website.

As a  newly minted educational consultant, have I seen parents who overschedule their kids in the name of getting into a good college? Does a dog have fleas?

Thanks to Susan for sending me a copy of JACK STRONG, by Tommy Greenwald for review.

Jack Strong is an upper-middle class, suburban middle schooler. He has a crush on Cathy Billows, is awesome at cello, and less-than-awesome at baseball. But those are just the things Jack cares about. Jack's eyes-on-the-prize father is looking ahead to college. Dad thinks loading Jack up with community service, Chinese classes and test-prep tutors is the ticket to getting in to a good school.

Writerly friends, Jack has a clearly defined problem, which makes for an appealing protagonist. Jack's schedule a little bit over the top, but I don't think middle grade readers will mind the hyperbole. It makes the situation funnier.

Jack's packed schedule opens the book.
Illustrated by Melissa Mendes.

Even when Jack's little league team wins the local World Series, his father makes him skip the celebration. Tennis lessons are more important, right? Wrong. Jack decides to stage a sit-in, camping out on the family couch until he's allowed to quit everything but cello and baseball. Drama ensues.

You'll get the point from Tommy Greenwald's book trailer:



Okay, so you may know a family like Jack's. Especially if you live in an upper middle class suburb. But I'm here to say two things to the Mr. Strongs of the world:

1. Well rounded is out. Passionate is in.

True statement.

Even when I was teaching high school 15 YEARS AGO, we had a top student -- a Julliard violinist -- who was rejected by an Ivy school. Why? They said she was "over packaged." This means that the girl's schedule had been carefully, and too-obviously (according to the admissions office), constructed to make her look like an appealing college candidate. She was charming and bright, but that was overshadowed by the uber-student persona on her application. 

What I'm hearing from admissions counselors now is this: high schoolers should follow Jack Strong's lead. Colleges are looking for depth. They want kids who are passionate about one or two things.

My guy is all-tech, all the time. He could use some exercise, but he'd rather add the Cyber Security team to his schedule than make time to play Ultimate Frisbee. The schools that find my teen's focus appealing, rather than limiting, are exactly the kinds of colleges where  he'll feel most comfortable.

Which leads me to...

2. Getting into college is not like American Idol.

That's right. Getting into college is neither a competition, nor a popularity contest. There are something like 4,500 colleges in the United States. Chances are, there are a lot of really fabulous schools you have never heard of. One of them could be the perfect fit for your 'tween (if you're starting early, like Mr. Strong), or teen.

And fit is what it's all about. You'll hear this from guidance counselors, admissions officers, and educational consultants like me. Would you wear a Prada coat that made your hips look enormous? Me neither. The same goes for schools.

Take the time to look past name brands. Are the students at school X people your child would feel comfortable hanging around with? Are most of the classes big lecture halls, or small enough that students get to know the faculty? How's the food? The dorms? (Swarthmore's dorms have co-ed bathrooms. No joke. Are you comfortable with that?)

For kids, JACK STRONG TAKES A STAND is all about standing up for yourself. A kid should be a kid, gosh darn it! A little Xbox and a few rounds of Gin Rummy with Nana make for great downtime. The book is funny and sweet, and Jack is inspiring without being angelic.

For parents, I see JACK STRONG as a cautionary tale. Is your middle schooler involved in six different, unrelated activities? It may be time for a heart to heart. Which activities does the 'tween really dig, and which ones are starting to feel like a chore? What's negotiable (e.g. I chip in and help my kids with laundry if they have stacks of homework), and what's not (most high schools require community service.) Now is a great time to open up a dialogue.

Meanwhile, here are some couches I wouldn't mind camping out on if I ever went on strike:

Jack could store his music, Chinese notes, and baseball schedule in this couch.
www.unclutterer.com

www.freshome.com

www.designswan.com
Does this one look too much like a certain famous ogre?

www.trendhunter.com
Maybe if the couch was shaped a little less like a book shelf.