Out of Blue Comes Green

Corey follows a transgender high schooler’s coming-out experience in this hopeful debut. Senior student Kay Kinkade is having a tumultuous gender transition: he suspects that his therapist is purposefully derailing his sessions, his mother insists he dress more feminine, his longtime crush offers makeup advice he doesn’t want, and his classmates constantly deadname him, especially popular jock JT. But there are some bright spots: his band, Blue, is in the running to play for prom, and, upon their introduction, new student Madi “thinks I’m a boy. Honestly thinks I’m a boy.” He’s also grieving his dog’s recent death and, in a visit to a shelter, is mistaken for a new hire named Nathan and starts working shifts caring for the animals. Juggling school-required theater dates with Madi, an unusual confession from JT, band rehearsals, and working at the shelter tests Kay’s limits and leads to a series of decisions with painful fallout. Kay’s occasional shortsightedness and presumption of antagonism from around every corner can be a bit wearisome, but Corey clearly presents Kay’s turmoil navigating transition alongside familiar adolescent woes surrounding crushes and the future. Most characters read as white; bandmate Libby is Black. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tina P. Schwartz, Purcell Agency. (Apr.)