Out of Left Field

Gr 6-9–Jonah’s coming out story tracks him from a French history-loving, nerdy high school underclassman to an unexpected baseball hero at graduation. Along the way, much unfolds: He makes good friends with a girl he previously tried to consider as a romantic attraction, he fails to realize the boy on whom he has a semi-aware crush on is gay, he copes with stereotypical and foul-mouthed bullies, and he is brought to the realization of his sexual identity by an openly gay classmate. The candy-colored art is bouncy. Jonah himself is white with red hair and his classmates have a variety of skin tones. His Black baseball coach is tolerant, although perhaps not outwardly gay-friendly, while his French teacher is openly lesbian without pushing Jonah towards his own self-awareness. Newman’s graphic novel/roman à clef deploys sardonic humor in the visual details while keeping the characters and plot clear and engaging for readers, whether or not they catch these sly features.