BookDragon Books for the Diverse Reader

I really, really don’t want to tell you what this book is about because I don’t want to ruin your delight of discovery. I knew nothing at all of its premise … I just hit ‘play’ on my iPod because I happened to have loaded it because of David Levithan’s name and that he wrote half of Will Grayson, Will Grayson with the currently ubiquitous John Green (flutter, flutter, yes).

So that’s it. And really, that’s all you should know, too … oh, and maybe that it’s one of the most unique love stories ever. Okay, one more thing: going audible is highly recommended. Narrator Alex McKenna is pitch-perfect fabulous. Really, how often do I say that?

Still not convinced? Maybe this much might do … every day, “A” wakes up in someone else’s body. Every 24 hours, s/he has a new identity, family, friends, school, everything. That’s just the way his/her life is. Until s/he wakes up one day as Justin, and falls nearly instantly in love with Rhiannon, and every day becomes about how s/he might get back to her …

Imagine the implications of such a life! You know the adage about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes? Imagine actually living someone else’s life every day – male, female, gender-fluid, from every ethnic, socioeconomic, religious background, of varying sizes and shapes even! If nothing else, such unpredictable life-swapping is surely going to make you the most empathetic person on the planet. If only we could be A now and then … talk about the answer to world peace!

But then imagine again the implications of such a life: of never knowing where you might wake up next; of never having the possibility of a single stable relationship; of never being able to make plans for tomorrow (especially wrenching are the memories of a very young A’s utter loss every night before s/he was able to fully comprehend what was happening again and again).

Okay, so you actually don’t need to imagine, because Levithan has already done so for you, with brilliance, imagination, understanding, and infinite WOW. He does so in just over 300 pages or 8.5 hours stuck in the ears. All you need to do is choose … and believe.

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Published: 2012