The Inside of Out

April 15, 2016
Good intentions have unintended consequences in this tale of a misguided LGBTQ ally.Daisy, a Charleston, South Carolina, high school junior, dreams big--but has trouble with follow-through. When her best friend, Hannah, tentatively comes out to her, heterosexual Daisy excitedly embraces this new cause, forcing her way into the school's queer-only student support group. After impulsively lobbying the school board to allow same-sex dates at homecoming, she becomes the public figurehead for an alternative event that attracts attention from international media and traditional-values pressure groups--and she finds her commitment wavering as she faces the enormity of the task. The book loses some momentum as Daisy obliviously makes one rash decision after another, each having a dramatic impact on others' lives. Unfortunately, all three characters of color in the book conform to well-worn stereotypes: the beguilingly attractive biracial Hannah and her Vietnamese-American mother, whose flirtations with chefs feed the family, and the aggressively intimidating African-American lesbian leader of the school's LGBTQ club. Also troubling is the premise that a straight, white, upper-middle-class heroine needs to rescue everyone else, pushing them out of the closet whether they feel ready or not.A light read that overreaches in its attempts to tackle weighty issues of privilege and privacy. (Fiction. 12-18)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 7 Up-High school juniors Daisy and Hannah are best friends. When Hannah comes out as gay, the last thing Daisy expects is for Hannah to start dating Natalie, Daisy's long-standing archenemy. While Daisy is still processing this unforeseen twist of events, she finds out that their school has a strict policy banning same-sex dates at dances. Daisy decides to end this antiquated rule by challenging the school board. What she thought was a symbolic gesture on behalf of her friend's rights becomes a convoluted crusade in which Daisy takes on the school board, her friends and fellow students, and eventually the whole country. Thorne expertly drops plot twists like bread crumbs for her readers to follow. Set in Charleston, SC, this story begins with a classic conflict between friends. The simple narrative becomes thick with thorns when Daisy acts before thinking, bringing a complexity to her situation. Although it takes on some heavy subjects, the work remains light through its humorous and somewhat self-obsessed teenage characters. Ultimately, teens will enjoy reading about Daisy's good intentions gone wrong as well as the bumpy love stories that accompany all good teenage drama. VERDICT Recommend to fans of John Green and David Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Kris Dinnison's You and Me and Him.-Jaclyn Anderson, Madison County Library System, MS

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