Being Roy

Gr 8 Up—Although she's reluctant, young artist Roy engineers a means of escaping her trailer park home through an elite all-girls private school. Desperately missing her boyfriend and unsure of her gender or how to relate to these rich girls, Roy finds inspiration in her art teacher and the affections of new friends. Although there is a dearth of representation of the rural LGBTQ experience in YA literature, this book is not the title to help fill that gap. The '90s setting and nostalgic tone make this feel like it is coming from an adult rather than teen perspective, and that distance makes it all the harder to connect with Roy. This title also attempts to do far too much. Important threads that deserve the whole attention of the narrative are picked up, lightly explored, and then dropped without achieving any kind of depth that would make them feel real to readers. Gender, class, race, family, sex, addiction, secret societies—all are capable of being the crux of the book, but without focus on one or two, none of them are.