Green, J. & Levithan, D. Will Grayson, Will Grayson. New York: Dutton.
ISBN: 9780525421580
Plot Summary: In a chance encounter, Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. One is from Evanston, and one is from Naperville. One is straight, and one is gay. They find themselves drawn together especially when one begins dating the other’s best friend, Tiny Cooper. In this alternating first person narrative, readers get to know the real Will Graysons as they get to know themselves and how they fit into the world.
Reader’s Annotation: In a chance encounter, Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. They form an unlikely friendship and discover what it means to be Will Grayson.
Author Information: Inspired by authors like Laurie Halse Anderson and Walter Dean Myers, John Green began his writing career while working at Booklist. John Green grew-up in Orlando Florida. He attended Kenyon College. In 2007, John and his brother Hank made a commitment to cease all textual communication and only communicate via YouTube videos posted each day. They called this project Brotherhood 2.0. They inspired an online community called “nerdfighters who fight for intellectualism and to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck.” In attempt to decrease world suck thousands of dollars have been donated to a variety of charities.
David Levithan is an editor turned author. When writing his first novel Boy Meets Boy, he wanted to write a book “he dreamed of getting as an editor,” a book about gay teens that did not fit with the stereotypes. He is the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, “which is dedicated to finding new voices and authors in teen literature.” He has also collaborated with Rachel Cohn on three novels for teens including Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Leviathan has written eight solo novels.
Genre:
- Contemporary – Coming of Age
- Contemporary – Relationships
- Contemporary – Passions – Music
- Contemporary – Humor
- Issues – Family Situations – GLBTQ Teens
Curriculum Ties: Music and Theater
Booktalking Ideas:
- Group with other LGBTQ books and book talk them on National Coming Out Day
Reading Level: Grades 9 and up
Interest Level: Grades 7 and up
Challenge Issues: Possible concerns might be homosexual relationships and teens meeting people they’ve met online in person. If I had defend this title, I would make sure to have a file including professional book reviews, a list of awards and information regarding how the book relates to local curriculum. I would also consult the recommendations of the CCBC and ALA with regards to challenges.
Reasons for Inclusion: In an effort add more diversity I added this book by one of my favorite authors. I love how Green and Leviathan work seamlessly together in writing the stories of the Will Graysons. It was also included on the YALSA BBYA list in 2011.
Bibliography:
Cover art. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.syndetics.com/hw7.pl?isbn=9780525421580/MC.GIF&client=sacrpl
Gale. (2010). John Green. Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 82. Retrieved from Gale Biography In Context.
Green, J. (2006, March). Becoming a YA writer. Booklist. pp. 84-85.
John Green’s Biography. (2011). John Green: New York Bestselling Author. Retrieved from http://johngreenbooks.com/bio-contact/
Levithan, D. (2011). You probably this page is about me. David Levithan. Retrieved from http://www.davidlevithan.com/about_davidlevithan.html
Margolis, R. (2006). The fresh Printz. School Library Journal, 52(4), 43.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson. (2010). In NoveList Plus. http://0-search.ebscohost.com.www.saclibrarycatalog.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=neh&tg=UI&an=345400&site=novp-live