Man Up

Gr 9 Up–David seems to have an idyllic life. He’s a talented baseball player, he’s up for athletic scholarships at several colleges, and he’s dating: Senior year is starting off just the way he wanted it to. David is gay, and keeping it quiet for the rest of the school year—his family is accepting, boyfriend Tyler is almost perfect, but others in his world may make school and sports difficult if David comes out. One of those people is Kevin, star of the baseball team with a father on the school board and plenty of clout when it comes to decisions regarding baseball. When Kevin inevitably sees David kissing his boyfriend, an insidious campaign starts to get David kicked off the baseball team, which will ruin his future as well as his present. Oclon’s characters are likable and well developed, with endearing flaws for the heroes, and villains whom readers will love to hate. Fast-paced action sequences stand out in a story that mostly focuses on the main characters’ internal lives. A somewhat rushed ending feels like a lackluster fade-out rather than a solid close.