March 1, 2023
A small-town basketball star with big ambitions fights for more than just a state championship for his team. Sixteen-year-old Barclay Elliot, captain of the high school basketball team, watches the clock of his life tick down second by second. Nearly a month ago, Scratch, his beloved grandpa who survived the Vietnam War and cancer, died in a car crash. Ever since, Barclay has regretted never telling Scratch that he's gay. Determined not to miss another shot at living openly, Barclay comes out in his speech at the pep rally before the first game of the season in front of his team, the school, and practically the entirety of Chitwood, Georgia. Following his big moment, Barclay expects cheers from the crowd and the support of his team, but instead, he is let down by nearly all the people he thought loved and admired him. This novel highlights the impact and urgency of paying attention to local politics. Hurt and surprised by the rejection from his team, for the first time--and with the help of friends who are more attuned to what it's like to be marginalized--Barclay, who is White, notices flaws in his community, including discrimination and political corruption on the school board. Although Barclay faces homophobia, his family supports him. Within his relationships with friends, new crushes, and his family, Barclay learns important lessons about privilege, vulnerability, and accountability. A hopeful coming-out story charged with motivation for local change. (Fiction. 13-18)
COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
March 20, 2023
Actor Hayes (Plum) and debut author Milliner, a producer, team up with Greenwald (Sizzle Reel, for adults) to craft a timely queer romance that unfolds amid the world of small-town social politics. Since his beloved grandfather’s recent death, basketball star Barclay has endeavored to live his “fullest life,” which means coming out as gay to his friends and loved ones. He announces the news on his 16th birthday, during his captain’s speech at a school pep rally, but instead of the cheers and support he expected, his declaration is met with foreboding silence. Afterward, it feels as if his school turns against him: he’s labeled an attention seeker, he overhears discussions regarding whether he should remain on the squad, and his teammates are openly homophobic. Fed up with the harassment, Barclay quits basketball and joins the school newspaper staff, where he meets and develops feelings for handsome, opinionated classmate Christopher, who helps Barclay report on the injustices and corruption occurring in their conservative Georgia community. Vibrant, well-defined characters add credibility to issues surrounding grief, love, and prejudice, while meticulous pacing and careful attention to the bureaucracy of towns ruled by local sports giants coalesce into a seamless, engrossing read. Ages 12–up.
June 1, 2023
Gr 9 Up-A small town high school basketball prodigy comes out as gay at a pep rally and is faced with a backlash of homophobia and harassment from not only his teammates but also his entire town. Barclay is mourning his grandfather's untimely passing, and feeling that he can no longer be anything but his true self (before it's too late). After all, everyone will love him no matter what, right? Wrong. Barclay's announcement is met with a disgusting amount of hate from everyone around him, taking him off the basketball team and unfairly reminding him that the team's losing streak is his fault. However, when the one other out guy in his school wants to interview him for the school paper, he may just learn a meaningful way to make an impact on everyone, even without being basketball captain. The three authors (Hayes starred in TV's Will & Grace) have a great overarching plot following a white gay athlete coming out publicly in Georgia, however the execution leaves something to be desired. Heavy plot lines of coming out, mourning a father figure, political scandals, and a first romance, all woven through a thread of basketball, is asking a lot of a book under 300 pages. There is a violent act toward the end of the book that feels underdeveloped and out of place. Still, most readers will go along for an overall enjoyable read. VERDICT Despite an intriguing premise, this book feels very generic. Recommended purchase for large collections where titles about LGBTQIA+ athletes are popular.-Elizabeth Portillo
Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 30, 2023
Grades 9-12 Sixteen-year-old Barclay, basketball team captain, comes out to the entire school at a pep rally. But, much to his naive surprise, he's greeted not with thunderous applause but with a tsunami of whispers. Things quickly become worse: plagued by the homophobia that Tim Ostrowski, his teammate and rival, encourages, he quits the team and joins his friend Amy and her student-journalist friend Christopher, the only other out gay boy at school, in registering people to vote in the upcoming school board elections. Their aim is to unseat Tim's corrupt father, who is responsible for the death of Barclay's beloved grandfather, Scratch. Will the kids succeed in their campaign? Are Barclay and Christopher, who have never gotten along, destined to become more than friends? Actor Hayes, producer Milliner, and author Greenwald have crafted a highly readable, emotionally engaging novel with appealing characters, and a few implausible moments aren't enough to compromise the book's success. Time in!
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