An anthology of short stories about young people, sex, love, sexuality, consquences, and emotional issues. Story about the gay boy and his friend is very graphic. Another story about a girl who undergoes an abortion.This book screams controversy!

This is an anthology of ten YA stories dealing with aspects of love and sex written by award winning YA authors including the following: Joan Bauer; Luise Hawes; Garth Nix; Sonja Sones; Laurie Halse Anderson; Chris Lynch; Michael Lowenthal; Shelley Stoehr; Angela Johnson; Emma Donoghue. These stories represent a broad range of sexuality and range from girl/boy relationships to same sex relationships of both genders.

Quality
5Q Hard to imagine it being better written.
Popularity
3P Broad general or genre YA appeal.

Quote: from "Watcher" by Angela Johnshon -- introductory paragraphs:

I use to hang around Public Square and wathc the cars almost run one another off the street. If not there then the library off of East Ninth. I could spend a whole day there just wandering around. Room to room. Scuffing along the marble floors. I used to lose myself -- alone in the city.

Mostly I would people-watch.

Jacks talks about how she once almost got locked in the library. Ruth asks her if she could find anything -- just anything at all -- to do in the city of Cleveland other than almost getting locked in libraries.

She did.

She followed me. ( )

This book sensitively and realistically covers issues such as deciding to remain a virgin, coming out to family and friends, what happens when you manipulate someone else and how do you know when someone is treating you with respect. ( )