Autoboyography

Gr 10 Up—Tanner's family moved from California to Provo, Utah, almost two years ago. They are one of the very few non-Mormon families in town, with a mother who left the Mormon church in college and a nonpracticing Jewish father. Although Tanner's family is exuberantly supportive of his bisexuality, they all agree it's safest to keep it to himself in the ultra-conservative town. With only one semester until graduation, Tanner plans to keep his head down and escape unscathed. Then Sebastian Brothers walks into his life. Sebastian is mentoring the school's legendary novel writing seminar, after having his own class novel bought for publication. Tanner is in lust at first sight, but Sebastian is the son of the Mormon bishop. As Sebastian begins to return Tanner's flirtation, questions arise about how far he's willing to push his faith and how satisfied Tanner can be in the shadows. The duo writing team (Christina Hobbs & Lauren Billings) brings an impressively balanced approach to writing about the conflict between sexuality and strict religion. Members of the Mormon church are not painted as one-dimensional villains, but as multifaceted individuals with merits and faults. Sebastian is a devoted Mormon even as he struggles to justify his attraction to the same sex. Occasionally, the major characters are too effortlessly talented and popular, with their flaws only emerging when narratively convenient. Regardless, the teenagers are modern and relatable and the plot is emotionally engaging without becoming dark.