Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, November 2003 (Vol. 37, No. 6))
Now in their senior year of high school, the three gay youths we first met in Rainbow Boys are struggling with new issues. Wisecracking, impulsive Nelson, who is "out and outrageous," is being tested for HIV and is dating an HIV-positive guy, to his mother's dismay. Shy Kyle is seeing Jason, and he worries that being accepted to Princeton will mean the end of their relationship; he also must cope with the anti-gay gibes of his fellow swim team members. Meanwhile, popular basketball star Jason has decided to come out to his coach, his teammates, and the public, and becomes a role model of a different kind, but has his college scholarship revoked as a result. The opening of the novel summarizes the main events of the prequel, so that it's not necessary to have read the first book to become absorbed in the ups and downs of the boys' lives in this one. Sanchez, a counselor whose mission is promoting tolerance, illuminates various facets of adolescent gay life through his characters, and includes detailed information at the back of the book on organizing a peer group, issues with parents, violence and hate crimes against gays and lesbians, human rights campaigns, HIV and AIDS, teen sexuality and suicide, and services on the Internet. But the book is not just a polemic (and there's no graphic sex, if you're wondering); it's an involving story of growing up, not just growing up gay, and it deserves a wide readership. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: S--Recommended for senior high school students. 2003, Simon & Schuster, 256p., $16.95. Ages 15 to 18.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 5))
The three young men from Rainbow Boys (BCCB 11/01) have returned to finish out their senior year, plan their futures, and further explore the challenges--and relationships--that arose in the previous book. Now out to his family and engaged in a relationship with Kyle, super-jock Jason comes out to his coach and his team, with surprising results (most take it pretty well, but there’s a blitz of local publicity that endangers Jason’s college scholarship). Kyle can’t conceive of a future without Jason, so he’s thinking about tailoring his college plans to his boyfriend’s, despite his acceptance into Princeton. Nelson’s completely smitten with his new boyfriend, but he’s uncertain about a relationship with somebody who’s HIV positive. This isn’t exactly a polished piece: there’s a tendency towards awkward and clichéd phrasing ("His eyes were like wells, deep and wounded"), and campy Nelson’s the only one of the three with a discernible character. This is really a book about intensity of experience, however, and even more than the first book, its emotional fervor recalls opera or Victorian novels of sentiment; the boys are always either overcome with adoration, weeping with emotion, or tortured by doubt, and the hackneyed phrases end up underscoring the naïve ardency of the boys’ attachments, much to the likely satisfaction of readers. Underneath the acute romanticism are some real questions about responsibility to other people, the implications of coming out, and the uncertainty that is essentially the lot of humanity ("Every day I ask myself, What’s going to happen next? And I just hope I don’t screw it all up"). End matter provides extensive overviews of eight gay/lesbian-related organizations. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Simon, 260p, $16.95. Grades 9-12.

Cynthia Winfield (VOYA, December 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 5))
In this sequel to Rainbow Boys (Simon & Schuster, 2001/VOYA December 2001), Nelson, Kyle, and Jason are now high school seniors, self-identified as gay, at different stages of coming out, and engaged with their school's Gay-Straight Alliance. Nelson-flashy, campy, and out-has had unprotected sex in the past, and goes for AIDS testing while dating HIV-positive Jeremy. His mother attends parent support groups and worries about his health. He applied to Tech when Kyle, his best friend, did. Swimmer Kyle, who responded to the "gay" engraved upon his locker by spray painting "and proud" below it, is now dating Jason, the basketball star after whom Kyle had lusted throughout high school, even while Jason was dating Debra. Kyle came out to his parents last year, and somewhat supportive of his sexuality, they eagerly await responses from Tech and Princeton-his father's alma mater. Latino Jason's mother is in denial about his sexuality, and his alcohol-abusing father left home disgusted after Jason came out to him. Blissfully in love with Kyle, Jason must decide whether to come out to Coach, and possibly jeopardize his basketball scholarship to Tech. All three hope to attend Tech together. Cycling through the three points of view, Sanchez effectively uses current youth vernacular language and accurately portrays issues affecting gay youth and their parents, peers, and faculty. An important book for gay teens and their allies, a copy belongs in high school and public libraries. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P J S (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Simon & Schuster, 272p., $16.95. Ages 12 to 18.