I've Known Since I Was Eight by Sophie Glasser

Sarah, an eleventh grader, has known that she was a lesbian since she was eight, but this is the year when she finally comes to terms with it. With the support of her bisexual friend Jarod, the only person she feels she can talk to about her feelings, she attends a support group for LGBT teens, and finally manages to come out to the girl she has a crush on, and finally her parents.

Most of her friends are accepting, but Sarah, Jarod, and their dates the prom have to deal with some homop...more Sarah, an eleventh grader, has known that she was a lesbian since she was eight, but this is the year when she finally comes to terms with it. With the support of her bisexual friend Jarod, the only person she feels she can talk to about her feelings, she attends a support group for LGBT teens, and finally manages to come out to the girl she has a crush on, and finally her parents.

Most of her friends are accepting, but Sarah, Jarod, and their dates the prom have to deal with some homophobic violence from other students. Fortunately, their straight friends stand by them, and the teachers are responsive when approached for help.

While there is nothing outstanding about this book, its thin 126 page format is sure to be attractive to reluctant readers.

**  


iUniverse, 2003     ISBN  0595293336

Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy

Molly has had a major unrequited crush on her chem lab partner for ages, and when he plans to move to New Jersey to work for his uncle as a house-painter, she is delighted that he will be so close to her in NYC where she will be attending Columbia Univ. However, Mark is non-committal about hanging out, other than to ask if he can occasionally crash in her dorm room if he's in the city too late to catch the last train. Molly soon finds out that Mark is gay and is heartbroken and angry, although Mark had never led her on. Her new girlfriends urge her to be his friend, and she finally comes around. She eventually starts dating another physics major, Simon, only to have Simon fall in love with Mark!

While this is another in the genre of girls bemoaning the fact that the boys they like turn out to be gay, there is better character development, and the strength of the friendship of Molly and her two girlfriends who always make time for each other despite their romantic relationships is a nice change.

*** Recommended


Scholastic, 2008     ISBN  043987761X