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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

“I’m used to being called a girl, but excuse me? Is that an insult? . . . Some of my best friends are girls!” Twelve-year-old Joe is irrepressible. Even though he stands out for not fitting the “boy” mold, he has the confidence to be true to himself in almost every situation. Over the course of six months, Joe’s essays for a seventh-grade English assignment (write about yourself from A to Z) reveal a lot about him—he’s a good friend and has good friends, he’s funny and creative, he’s picked on by a bully named Kevin Hennessy, he has a crush on a boy named Colin, and the very thought of kissing makes him squirm. Joe’s fleeting, innocent romance with Colin is just one of the sweet, tender aspects of this fresh and funny novel by James Howe. Joe has no doubts about his own sexuality, but Colin is uncertain about his. He needs Joe to accept that, just as Colin accepts and admires Joe for being totally himself. And as confident as Joe is, he still finds it a bit scary when he finally decides to come out to his family and friends: he’s never actually said, “I’m gay.” Joe’s situation may be a little idealized with his totally accepting family and peers—it is because of them that he is able to dwell on the positive rather than the negative when the teasing and bullying Kevin Hennessy plagues him. But it’s not out of the realm of possibility, and it’s certainly what all the Joes and Colins in real life deserve. (Ages 10–14)

CCBC Choices 2006 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2006. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2006
When a school assignment compels Joe to write an autobiography, he takes the opportunity as a way to work up the courage to tell his family and friends he's gay. Although the social aims of the book are laudable, Joe's overly peppy narration is unconvincing as that of a middle-schooler, and the authorial agenda is too apparent.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From School Library Journal

November 1, 2005
Gr 6-8 -Joe's teacher asks his seventh-grade class to write an -alphabiography - throughout the year, presenting themselves and their lives in entries from A to Z. Joe's essays begin and end with friends, from Addie, a long-time pal and confidant, to Zachary, a new student who, like Joe, has a unique approach to life. Throughout, Joe demonstrates that he truly is a one-of-a-kind kid, mostly comfortable with himself but still struggling with common adolescent issues. It's difficult for him to relate to his athletic brother, and he misses his much-loved Aunt Pam, who moves to New York City. He also comes to grips with his sexuality, questioning gender expectations and traditional roles as he realizes he is gay. Because he is different, he is tormented by Kevin, who calls him a -girl - and -faggot - and falsely accuses him of kissing his friend Colin (a jock not yet ready to come out). Joe's narration always feels honest if not entirely credible. He and his family accept his emerging sexuality rather easily. While a range of responses is depicted, the characters seem to come around too quickly. For example, when the principal is informed of Kevin's actions, he, too, handles the situation expeditiously, and the troublemaker conveniently transfers to another school. Though idealized and contrived, the approach is novel and the conclusion optimistic." -Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from October 3, 2005
Delivering trenchant messages about tolerance, self-knowledge and the vacuity of teenage popularity, Howe's ultimately uplifting tale marks the welcome return of the Gang of Five (though there are really only four), introduced in The Misfits
. The novel's innovative format reveals the "alphabiography" of 13-year-old Joe Bunch, the gay member of the seventh-grade misfits. In this alphabetical survey, assigned by his English teacher, he shares his heartfelt, snappy reflections. For "A is for Addie," he recalls his earlier years, when he liked to dress up and play with Barbie dolls (a pastime that bonded him to Addie, also from the Gang of Five). He confesses that in fifth grade he wanted to be a "guy-guy" so badly that he asked his friend to teach him how ("Oh. My. God. It was pathetic"). Joe has a crush on "totally cool, smart" Colin (the "C" entry), a jock who returns his affection but is not ready to go public with their relationship and eventually calls it off. Encouraged by his insightful aunt, Joe takes a major leap when he comes out to his supportive family. Howe deals with weighty issues, but uses Joe's affable personality to interject ample humor, and the hero ends each segment with a "Life Lesson," many presenting principles appropriate to any kid (e.g., "Just be who you are, okay?"). This narrator is anything but an average Joe: he's candid, memorable and—though he might find this hard to believe—totally charismatic. Ages 10-14.

From Booklist

August 1, 2005
Gr. 6-9. Joe, one of the characters in" The Misfits" (2001), has his say, in a voice uniquely his own. Twelve-year-old Joe knows he is gay. He played with Barbies as a young child, prefers cooking to sports, and has a crush on a male classmate. Written in the form of an assignment--an "alphabiography"--the story takes readers through the school year, one letter at a time: G is for the Gang of Five, Joe's misfit friends, who are utterly loyal when he falls for Colin. But Colin is less secure about his sexuality than Joe is, and when the rumor goes around that the boys have been seen kissing, he quashes the relationship. Joe survives the crush, and the book has an upbeat ending. ?Actually, despite a few worries, the whole book is cheerful and optimistic. Joe's family is supportive, and the kids from the nasty (Christian) family that wants to stop the Gay-Straight Alliance are removed to a different school. In other words, there's nothing terribly realistic about the scenario; in many ways, the book is reminiscent of David Levithan's" Boy Meets Boy" (2003), which was for a slightly older audience. Obviously, the novel will be problematic for some--not only because of the gay theme and Joe's age but also the stereotypic portrayal of the bullying Christian family. Joe himself often comes off as a cross between Niles Crane and Harvey Fierstein. But he also reacts like a kid, and readers in his situation will wish for the love and support he receives from friends and family, as well as the happy life he so clearly envisions. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)