Drag Teen

March 15, 2016
When the only exit from Floridian monotony is winning a drag contest, beggars can't be losers. Why would 17-year-old JT Barnett want to live in the moment? His moment is a future assessing pesky love handles, pumping gas, dealing with despondent parents, and being left behind by his best friends in Clearwater, Florida. He wants nothing more after graduation than to go to college and become a writer and drag queen, but with grades as lackluster as a gown sans sequins, his prospects are flatter than a broken stiletto. When his too-good-for-him, gorgeous boyfriend and best girlfriend convince him to enter a drag contest in NYC (even though he has only performed once with disastrous results), a road trip to Manhattan--and to learning some self-love--is born. JT has no issue with being gay, so this isn't about the trials of coming out. Instead, it's a learn-to-love-yourself odyssey in which a diversity of secondary and tertiary characters appears only after they've crossed through the Holland Tunnel. On his pilgrimage, self-deprecating JT's conflicts tend to lead easily to solution (a rich benefactress materializes after a flat tire; one makeup lesson results in a skill no seasoned queens question), making his struggles more a series of mended broken nails than catastrophic ripped couture before curtain call. Even frothy fun needs a deep bass line that isn't found here. (Fiction. 12-18)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Seventeen-year-old JT Barnett lives a humdrum existence in Clearwater, FL, working in the family gas station, drifting through school, and dreaming of fabulous days to come. His one attempt at drag led to public humiliation in a school talent show, so he is reluctant when Seth, his wildly attractive, overachieving boyfriend, encourages him to enter the Miss Drag Teen pageant in New York City. The prize of a four-year college scholarship ultimately convinces JT, and after lying to their parents, he, his best friend Heather, and Seth embark on a spring break road trip that leads to fights, honest reckonings, and encounters with a cast of remarkable personalities. With the exception of spiteful Tash, the diverse group of pageant contestants offer JT acceptance and a tantalizing glimpse into a brighter world. This joyous, life-affirming novel moves at a brisk pace, hitting the perfect balance between action and introspection. The sympathetically drawn characters-Heather struggles with fat prejudice, impossibly perfect Seth is hiding a secret, JT is riddled with anxiety and self-doubt-are appealingly authentic. While their world is not entirely free of bigotry, homophobia refreshingly does not define the boys' relationship or lives. The only false note is the resolution of the rivalry between JT and Tash, which feels a bit too pat. Pulling back the curtain on the glamorous world of drag, this novel explores universal themes of family, friendship, and identity with verve and panache. VERDICT A first purchase.-Laura Simeon, Open Window School Library, WA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Seventeen-year-old JT has a dream: he wants to become a drag queen. But his one experience in draga school talent showwas a disaster, so he is dubious when his boyfriend, Seth, announces his discovery of the Miss Drag Teen Scholarship Pageant in New York and insists that JT participate. Because this seems to be his only chance at the scholarship he needs to go to college, JT reluctantly agrees, and the two boys, along with their best friend Heather, head from their Florida home to the Big Apple. Drag queens are virtually nonexistent in YA fiction, and Self does an excellent job introducing that world, as well as conveying the happiness that performing brings JT, who has always fought insecurity and self-loathing but, when he is in drag, thinks he might be able to love himself. JT's gradual transformation into accomplished performer is believable, too, as is the rocky relationship he has with Seth. If there is a hint of Cinderella in this charming story, it's Cinderella in a well-realized real-world setting with appropriate ups and downs, joys and sorrows. In the end, it may not be Prince Charming who is JT's prize, but rather the discovery of his true self.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)