[CASL-L] PSA to middle schools

[Melissa Thom]

Hello!

I looked it up on Titlewave and it has been recommended for grades 9 and
up. I am attaching the reviews for anyone interested. I def don't think it
should have been in a middle school bundle--I would def let Scholastic know
if you are able.
Melissa


Booklist starred (March 1, 2022 (Vol. 118, No. 13))
Grades 9-12. Aboriginal 17-year-old Jackson is frustrated. Despite the fact
that he and his girlfriend have dated for five months, he has yet to be
able to get an erection when they attempt to have sex. After the latest
failure, he thinks, “What kind of man are you?” Readers will find a clue
when his Aunt Pam comes from Sydney for Christmas. With her is 16-year-old
Tomas, a foster child whom Aunt Pam is sheltering while he’s on parole from
juvie. Late that first evening, Jackson watches Tomas, also Aboriginal,
sleeping and has what strikes him as a weird thought: “I think I thought he
was cute.” Jackson tries to banish the notion, but the reality of what
happened persists, and, by fits and starts, a relationship develops between
the two boys, which turns physical (with its own failed attempt at sex).
Through it all, though, Jackson remains painfully ambivalent, even
insisting to himself, “I’m straight . . . I like girls.” But does he?
Lonesborough’s novel, first published in Australia as The Boys from Mish,
is extremely well crafted and a model of verisimilitude. Important both for
featuring gay Aboriginal characters and the complexities of understanding
one’s sexuality, this makes a very welcome addition to YA literature’s
LGBTQIA+ cannon.
Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2021)
Two First Australian teens fall for each other in secret. Summer on the
Mish means plenty of time for 17-year-old Jackson to spend with his two
best mates and girlfriend, Tesha. But try as he might, Jackson can’t
perform during sex. He blames the grog. But when cute, mysterious Tomas
arrives, released from juvie and visiting Jackson’s family for Christmas,
it’s clear there might be more to the story. Forced to share a room with
Tomas, Jackson connects with him over art. When the boys realize their
mutual attraction, life gets sizzlingly complicated. At first, they keep
things quiet; no one on the Mish can know. But the harder they fall, the
harder it is to keep their relationship a secret—and the less Jackson and
Tomas want to. Published in Australia in 2021 as The Boy From the Mish,
Yuin author Lonesborough’s YA debut is a sweet will-they, won’t-they
romance with welcome Indigenous Australian representation. What starts as a
slow-burn love story riddled with internalized homophobia blossoms into a
beautiful relationship alongside discussions of racism and classism. The
first-person present-tense narration offers a sense of immediacy that makes
every moment count, from raucous parties to romantic bushwalks. The sights,
sounds, and inhabitants of the fictional rural Koori community, which is
informed by Lonesborough’s own life, are richly rendered. An affirming,
textured coming-out story. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)
Melissa Thom
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@MsThomBookitis
Bristow Middle School Teacher Librarian
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On Fri, Apr 21, 2023 at 7:34 AM Allison Gale <agale at er9.org> wrote:

> For those of you in middle school libraries, I would caution you from
> purchasing Ready When You Are by Gary Lonesborough. None of the reviews
> highlighted the sexual content in the book, so thankfully I decided to
> preview the book and within the first few pages realized it is NOT middle
> school appropriate. Not sure if it would be considered okay for
> highschool....I can send more details if you are considering it.
> Unfortunately, I thought it was a great book otherwise- about a
> questioning boy who is living on an Aboriginal reservation. A
> perspective that we don't often see in books.
>
> --
> Mrs. Allison Gale
> Library Media Specialist
> Helen Keller Middle School Media Center
> Instagram: @hkmsmediacenter
>
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