A review by alarra
Sprout by Dale Peck

4.0

Narrated by Sprout Bradford, a smart-alec, smart-writing kid in a small town who can't help but stand out (drunk dad, green hair, gay) as he trains for a national essay writing competition that will give him a chance to get out of this small existence, that forces him to examine a few secrets he has been keeping. Sprout's voice is at first too knowing, peppered with pop culture references that ring false, but it settles down as Sprout starts to write more honestly about himself, and reveals himself to the reader little by little. It's bitingly funny, there's a bittersweet romance, a nebulous ending, and depite the fact it's yet another coming-of-age YA novel I *loved* it.