Gemini Bites

January 17, 2011
Add Ryan to the list of authors still finding fresh ways to keep vampire books immortal. Narrated by 16-year-old twins Kyle and Judy Renneker—who have recently announced they are gay (Kyle) and born-again (Judy)—Ryan's story smartly navigates romantic entanglements and sibling rivalry. Already overstuffed with seven children, the Renneker household is getting another addition: Kyle and Judy's classmate Garret Johnson, who will be staying with the family for a month before moving to San Diego with his parents. Oh, and pale, eyeliner-wearing, and oddly formal Garret claims he's a vampire, which Kyle starts to believe might be true (even as he acknowledges this isn't the sole reason Garret intrigues him). Garret's presence ratchets up Kyle and Judy's combative relationship, while a subplot involving a student who believes Garret is "evil" adds an undercurrent more unsettling than any potential vampirism. Writing with humor and empathy in equal measure, Ryan (In Mike We Trust) presents a touching gay romance as well as a pair of well-rounded and entertaining narrators who come to respect each other. Ages 13–up.

February 15, 2011

Sparks fly when the mysterious, smooth-talking, eye-liner'd Garret Johnson moves in for a month with the very Bradylike household of sparring twins Kyle and Judy Renneker. It's unclear at the outset as to why the twins hate each other so much—all readers know is that Kyle is openly gay and Judy is seemingly pursuing a cute boy by carrying around a Bible. Garret, however, is an artist-in-training who wears all black and has strange phone conversations with someone he claims is his vampire mentor. Both twins seem dubious, but he somehow manages to seduce them into modeling for his sketches in various stages of undress. Soon, the twins are at each other's throats trying to decide which one he likes the best. What Ryan loses in hackneyed plotting he makes up for in character development. Garret, Kyle and Judy, as well as the rest of the Renneker family, are all sharply portrayed, and readers will definitely feel a sense of belonging as they read their story. Ryan also injects plenty of lusty longing and (mostly tame but for the language is) seduction scenes that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The conclusion isn't quite as much fun as the characters' journeys, but readers will definitely have lots to think about once they've finished. (Romantic thriller. 14 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Judy and Kyle's relationship is fraught with tension, and the competition between the 16-year-old twins only increases when a fellow student joins their already large household for the final month of the school year. The strange son of family friends, Garret moves into the attic, turns it into a dark and creepy den, and claims to be a vampire. Kyle, who has recently come out to his family, and Judy are both a little intrigued and begin to vie for Garret's attention. Told from the siblings' alternating viewpoints, the story is light and engaging. Refreshingly, Kyle's homosexuality is mostly a nonissue, and his strained relationship with his sister is the crux of his angst. There isn't a lot that is new in this novel, it's not as well done as other stories told with more than one first-person narrator, and the characters are a little undeveloped. But it is a quick, fun read with a satisfying ending, and it will appeal to those who enjoy realistic relationship-themed fiction.-Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2011
Grades 8-12 Sixteen-year-old Kyles relationship with his twin sister, Judy, is, to put it mildly, antagonistic. He calls her the Monster, and she calls him the Boy Who Loves Penises and other snarky names that make mean-spirited fun of his homosexuality. Things get complicated when, to the twins horror, Garrett, a boy from school, comes to live with them for a month. Garrett is a loner with black clothes, eyeliner on one eye, a giant sketchpad under one arm, and the often articulated claim to be a vampire. Nevertheless, theres something weirdly attractive about him, and soon both twins find themselves drawn to himand he to them? Told in Kyles and Judys alternating voices, Ryans latest is an engaging character study that offers a refreshingly authentic look at contemporary gay-teen life and gets high marks for its cheerful, nonjudgmental acknowledgement that kids are sexual beings. With this novel, Ryan solidifies his reputation as an increasingly important voice in YA gay fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)