Lone Star in Jersey

High-school sophomores Sammy and Eli are dreading the first day at their new school in New Jersey. Texan Sammy is in a new state with the father she barely knows following her mother’s sudden death; Eli is beginning his first year as a trans boy at a new school. On the first day of class, they meet and quickly become friends—and maybe more. While Eli navigates his new identity, Sammy copes with manners and mores that are very different from those in Texas. In some ways, the story is an updated fairy tale: the princess—super-girly, ever-sparkly ex-cheerleader Sammy—is great at math and tough enough to fight off Eli’s bullies; the skateboarding prince is fascinated by Sammy’s combination of strength and naiveté (he realizes that her father is gay long before she does). While Harris (I Kiss Girls) and Key (Stealing Bases) go a bit overboard with the secrets Sammy has to cope with (everyone she loves seems to have one) and perhaps overstate Eli and Sammy’s resilience and awareness, it’s impossible not to root for these two to find their way to happiness. Ages 12–up. [em](Apr.) [/em]