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4.53 AVERAGE
4.53 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Oh gosh, this book. I have loved everything Simon has written but this is my favourite.
Boy Like Me is a story of a teenage boy discovering he is gay and falling in love in 1994, during section 28 when homophobia is rife and anything seen as encouraging gay relationships is illegal.
Mrs C, the librarian, is determined to help the LGBT+ kids at school and I loved the way she did this. Her defiance in the face of bigotry, at the risk of losing her job, is wonderful. I adored her.
This book shows the horror of section 28, the impact it had on LGBT+ kids, the way it fuelled homophobia and attacks on the LGBT+ community. One of the characters has a Tory MP dad, which showed us the political side of section 28 and the so-called "family values" the Tory party pushed at this time. We also see the lengths Jamie has to go to to hide his feelings and the bravery he shows in standing up for love in spite of the hatred. It is, at times, a tough read and it made me incredibly angry.
But it is also a beautiful story, packed with Simon's warmth and humour, which starkly contrasts the hatred Jamie faces. Jamie's story of discovering his sexuality, first love and finding acceptance from some of the people closest to him warmed my heart. I also loved the 90s references which include my favourite fancy 90s desserts and my favourite discontinued chocolate bar.
Boy Like Me is a beautiful, important and enraging story. It is a cry for acceptance and better treatment of the LGBT+ community. It shows us how our society is echoing the events of Section 28 and challenges us to do better for our kids.
Boy Like Me is a story of a teenage boy discovering he is gay and falling in love in 1994, during section 28 when homophobia is rife and anything seen as encouraging gay relationships is illegal.
Mrs C, the librarian, is determined to help the LGBT+ kids at school and I loved the way she did this. Her defiance in the face of bigotry, at the risk of losing her job, is wonderful. I adored her.
This book shows the horror of section 28, the impact it had on LGBT+ kids, the way it fuelled homophobia and attacks on the LGBT+ community. One of the characters has a Tory MP dad, which showed us the political side of section 28 and the so-called "family values" the Tory party pushed at this time. We also see the lengths Jamie has to go to to hide his feelings and the bravery he shows in standing up for love in spite of the hatred. It is, at times, a tough read and it made me incredibly angry.
But it is also a beautiful story, packed with Simon's warmth and humour, which starkly contrasts the hatred Jamie faces. Jamie's story of discovering his sexuality, first love and finding acceptance from some of the people closest to him warmed my heart. I also loved the 90s references which include my favourite fancy 90s desserts and my favourite discontinued chocolate bar.
Boy Like Me is a beautiful, important and enraging story. It is a cry for acceptance and better treatment of the LGBT+ community. It shows us how our society is echoing the events of Section 28 and challenges us to do better for our kids.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
From the very beginning I wasn’t sure if I enjoyed the style of writing. I see what he was doing but I don’t like it was my favourite. Some of it was pretty funny and I didn’t mind the hints for a TV adaptation. I am always wary of first person books but it was done well here!
Overall it was a nice story, the characters were likeable and it was an easy read, as most young adult books are. I think this was based on a true story but it still all seemed a bit too good to be true sometimes. The band actually playing the show, really? .
Not a fan of the constant footnotes, personally I think most of them could have worked better as a final chapter updating the reader of where people are now. I was convinced Rob was going to die and Jamie was going to end up with Dan, but both of them were shut down.
Liked the reference to Gay’s The Word, the bookshop that I actually bought this book from!
Overall it was a nice story, the characters were likeable and it was an easy read, as most young adult books are. I think this was based on a true story but it still all seemed a bit too good to be true sometimes.
Not a fan of the constant footnotes, personally I think most of them could have worked better as a final chapter updating the reader of where people are now. I was convinced
Liked the reference to Gay’s The Word, the bookshop that I actually bought this book from!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Violence
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
I'd recommend this book to literally every single person ever because it's just so good. The characters are top tier (Rob's an all time fav, Jamie is the best!), the narration so good and the topic incredibly important. I love all of SJGs books and I'm weirdly very proud of him because this work really showed vulnerability and is still so much him, I can't get enough!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad