Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
I have a grandson in GHAPS and I am concerned with the books and curriculum being introduced to kids at younger and younger ages. It seems the library selection committee goes mainly off recommendations from national library associations and educational institutes which seem to have a left leaning agenda. I joined the "Smutty Book Task Force" to help with the reading of suspect books.
This book is found at Central. It is geared towards middle-school aged children. The main character Mattie is in 8th grade. She encounters the usual issues of middle school, mean girls, crushes, hanging out with your peeps and keeping secrets from parents. The story mainly follows Mattie and her confession to her peeps that she has a crush on a particular boy. She attends a costume party incognito, because she was not invited by the leading mean girl. Mattie slips out of the party room and runs into the new girl in class, Gemma, who is also hiding out from the party. Mattie discovers she has “feelings” for Gemma. Mattie’s feelings are never really defined, but she shares with one of her friends the strange feeling she has towards Gemma. Mattie also talks to her college-aged sister, Cara about the funny feeling. Cara is very supportive of the “friendship” and thinks it's "Cool!" The story revolves around the play of Romeo and Juliet that the 8th grade class is putting on. In the end, Mattie is cast in the role of Romeo and Gemma as Juliet. So at the end of the book, playing the characters of Romeo & Juliet, Gemma kisses Mattie.
There is no bad language or sexual descriptions in the book. What concerned me more was some of the reviews on Goodreads that felt the book did not go far enough to promote bisexual adolescents or the LGBTQ theme.
I will save my fight for another book.