The Difference Between You and Me

Gr 8 Up—Jesse and Emily make an unlikely couple. Emily is vice president of the student council, filled with school spirit, and has been dating her boyfriend since the eighth grade. Jesse is the daughter of liberal, political activists and has been out of the closet since she was 14. In spite of their wildly different social circles, the two girls find themselves embroiled in a passionate affair that takes place every Tuesday in the bathroom in the public library. Jesse feels ashamed, like a "bad queer," because of her willingness to keep their love secret, but Emily will only consent to staying involved if no one knows. When a huge corporation tries to move into town, using sponsorship of high school events as an inroad, Jesse and Emily find that they are on opposite sides of the political spectrum, which only accentuates the gulf that exists between them. The novel is told from alternating perspectives, with a third character, Esther, entering the mix after Jesse meets her in detention. Esther is an activist herself, whose admiration of Joan of Arc motivates her to spend her time on the worthiest of causes regardless of how she is seen by others. As she and Jesse become friends, Jesse begins to see that her relationship with Emily may not be the healthiest. The characters are vivid, there are some very funny scenes, and the desire Jesse and Emily feel for each other jumps off the page, transforming mere minutes of stolen time into lingering daydreams of young love. Readers of Julie Ann Peters, Laurie Halse Anderson, Sarah Zarr, and Sarah Dessen will welcome this addition to collections of realistic fiction.—Nora G. Murphy, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Canada-Flintridge, CA