A pretty darn good book, written for a YA audience, but probably a bit too sexually explicit for most parents' comfort. Set in a tony co-ed NE prep school in the 90s, the story is indeed derivative of A SEPARATE PEACE and Salinger's CATCHER. But the co-ed angle gives a whole new dimension to this young love,coming-of-age story. Its hero, young Timur Borisovich Vorobyov (aka Tim Boyd), is a Russian emigrant, which at least partially explains the odd title, YELLOW BLUE BUS MEANS I LOVE YOU. (It helps to know a little Russian.) The author, Morse Hamilton obviously does know some Russian, as well as prep schools, having taught for a time at Phillips Exeter Academy, as well as Tufts University. Originally published in 1994, the book may be out of print by now. The story is highly literate and filled with literary allusions both English and Russian, pretty unusual in most YA fiction. Hamilton died in 1998. Teenagers would probably eat this book up, but parents would probably not love it so much. I enjoyed it myself. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )

Can you imagine moving right now, to a new country with completely different customs and a new language? Well, fifteen year old Timur Vorobyov can, except he’s Tim Boyd now. Four years ago, Tim and his family moved to New York City from Moscow, Russia after the fall of Communism. In four short years, Tim becomes the ideal American boy, making his parents proud. When Tim is given a scholarship to the prestigious Aviary Prep School in New Hampshire, his parents couldn’t be more thrilled. Boarding school is completely foreign. In a world without parents and restrictions, Tim is overwhelmed. He soon becomes accustomed to the alien world and develops a crush on Phoebe Sayornis who is, at least in Tim’s eyes, American perfection. When she tells Tim at a dance “Yellow blue bus”, he is shocked because it is the way Americans would pronounce “Ya lyublyu vas” which means “I love you” in Russian. Tim and Phoebe leave the dance to talk, and Tim realizes how much he likes talking to her. Their relationship doesn’t have a chance to develop because before they know it, it’s summer and the students of Aviary Prep get to go home. Tim is shocked when Phoebe calls him during the summer and says that she is visiting New York City. They meet up at the Metropolitan Museum where they have their first “official” date and realize that their attraction is physical and mental. Eventually, the summer ends and school begins again and this year is very different from the previous one for Tim, with a girlfriend and a place in school. Soon, Phoebe and Tim’s relationship turns entirely physical, and Tim begins to question its meaning. He knows he loves her, “more than any other human being”, but is Tim’s idea of love enough to keep Tim and his first love together?
The novel Yellow Blue Bus Means I Love You by Morse Hamilton was the story of a young man’s venture into the complicated world of relationships with members of the opposite gender. It was a compelling look into young love’s beginnings, especially from a male perspective. I thought that the ideas behind the novel had emotional depth, but the execution could have been better. Tim’s apparent Americanization seemed a bit unbelievable, and his Russian heritage didn’t play an important role in the story. I didn’t think that Hamilton was especially creative in the way he developed Tim as a character. Because Tim was made into a loner with no real friends, it made his relationship with Phoebe less realistic as he did not seem adept at forging any type of relationship. I enjoyed the way Hamilton portrayed the character of Phoebe. He made her a modern American girl with a unique way of thinking. By the end of novel, I found the resolution to be incomplete and many questions unanswered. I think the author had a good idea, but was unable to accomplish it. -S.M.