MADreads

Absolutely a YA standout

September 2nd, 2008 Katharine

Absolute Brightness was recommended to me by my niece, a ferocious reader, who once read New Moon between turns of a Scrabble game at my house.  The girl loves to read.  She has good taste too, this YA book turned out to be one of the best I’ve read in years, second only to my favorite books by John Green.

Phoebe’s life has been shaken up, her parents recently divorced and now her never before seen cousin Leonard has come to live with them.  Phoebe’s mom owns a hair salon right next door and Leonard soon becomes a popular fixture with her mom’s clients.  He loves to dress up, loves show tunes and though he’s never officially confessed to it, loves boys more than girls.

The first part of story is about how Phoebe deals with her flamboyant cousin and how it affects her relationships with family and friends.  The book turns in a whole different direction when Leonard suddenly goes missing.  The police become involved and Phoebe’s own new love interest starts heating up at the same time.  Does Leonard show up?  Will she go further than first base with her new boyfriend?  You’ll have to read it to find out. 

Author James Lecesne not only writes good books, but has  done other great work in the teen community.  He founded the New York based Trevor Project and most recently started a non-profit organization After the Storm to work with teens that survived Hurricane Katrina.  Lecesne writing credits also include work with the show Will and Grace and Further Tales from the City PBS series.  Hopefully Absolute Brightness will be the one of many YA novels from Lecesne. But I have to say,  John Green still remains my favorite.  **P.S. Paper Towns will be out October 16th!**

Entry Filed under: Young Adult