A star high school athlete grapples with understanding who he is in this βsmart, urgent, and wonderfully poetic coming out storyβ (Lambda Literary).
From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. Heβs a star wrestler, a video game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrongβwhy he sometimes fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him? Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?
In Freakboyβs razor-sharp verse, Kristin Clark folds three narratives into one powerful story: Brendan trying to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fighting to keep her and Brendanβs relationship alive, and Angel struggling to confront her demons.
Praise for Freakboy
βAn important story, written with compassion and startling insight. A brave YA debut.β βEllen Hopkins, New York Timesβbestselling author of the Crank trilogy
βDebut novelist Clark uses free verse to write a gripping story about a complex topic: the challenges of growing up transgender or genderqueer.β βPublishers Weekly (starred review)
βThis gutsy, tripartite poem explores a wider variety of identitiesβcis-, trans-, genderqueerβthan a simple transgender storyline, making it stand out.β βKirkus Reviews (starred review)