Two Boys Kissing

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • STONEWALL HONOR BOOK • LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST "You have to read this.” —Rainbow Rowell, bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Carry On From the New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, this love story of shared humanity and history Hypable calls "an interconnecting web that will leave you emotionally exhausted and absolutely thrilled to have read something so beautiful and unique." Based on true events—and narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS—Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two seventeen-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.

An intense and imaginatively structured novel from the bestselling author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Every Day and Boy Meets Boy. Seventeen-year-olds Craig and Harry are trying to set a new Guinness World Record for kissing. Around them, Ryan and Avery are falling in love, Neil and Peter are falling out of love, and Cooper might be somewhere, but he is also, dangerously, nowhere. Narrated, Greek-chorus style, by the generation of gay men lost to AIDS, this novel is a thematic companion to David Levithan's groundbreaking Boy Meets Boy, which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2013. Two Boys Kissing is trademark Levithan: warm, sharp and real. It is also something new and completely extraordinary. David Levithan is an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of young adult books, including Boy Meets Boy, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green). He lives in New Jersey and spends his days in New York, editing and publishing other people's books. textpublishing.com.au 'Two Boys Kissing is wise, respectful and honest, and David Levithan writes with integrity and sensitivity about young love without titillation or sensationalism. I wholeheartedly recommend this extraordinary book.' Readings Monthly 'Levithan never descends into the trite or sentimental. His observations are sharp and insightful...The book made me smile, made me cry, it made me sad and angry and at the end gave me an incredible sense of gratefulness and awe for the beautiful fragility of life and love. Would I recommend this book? You bet!' OutInPerth 'Two Boys Kissing is phenomenal. Beautiful. And I highly recommend it. Everything about this novel was authentic and moving.' YA Midnight Reads 'David Levithan's poignant novel follows the stories of gay teens joined through an unconventional protest.' Entertainment Weekly 'Two Boys Kissing reveals [Levithan's] command of an intriguing, complex narrative with an unusual point of view: the first-person plural. This 'we' is the combined voice of men who died during the AIDS pandemic several decades ago. As the boys' stories become more closely entwined and connect in a satisfying finale, the reflections of these 'shadow uncles' lend a quality of retrospection that is rare (and refreshing) in YA literature.' Washington Post 'A landmark achievement from a writer and editor who has helped create, in literature, a haven for queer youth.' Publishers Weekly 'genuine moments of insight and wisdom...Inspiring.' Kirkus Reviews 'a masterpiece' Dennis Abrams, Publishing Perspectives 'Messages about identity, relationships and life in general that are valid for both boys, girls and adults, gay or not. A powerful novel.' Weekend Herald 'What this story does brilliantly is put the reader in the shoes of those young men who are coming to terms with being gay...Levithan is a much-loved author who writes with sensitivity on issues relevant to young adults. This realistic novel about gay boys is both timely and profoundly moving.' Herald Sun 'David Levithan's latest release is timely and important but, most of all, it is astonishingly sophisticated...Levithan has outdone himself.' Courier Mail

An intense and imaginatively structured novel from the bestselling author of Will Grayson, Will Grayson, Every Day and Boy Meets Boy New York Times bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. Remarkably, and to powerful effect, the story is narrated by a Greek chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS Following the bestselling Every Day, Two Boys Kissing showcases David's trademark sharp-wit, warm-hearted tales of teenage love, and serves as a perfect thematic bookend to David's YA debut and breakout novel, Boy Meets Boy, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2013 Ground-breaking cover featuring a photograph sourced by David Levithan himself, taken by a fan. Hauntingly beautiful and tear-jerking cover to cover, perfect for fans of John Green and Alyssa Brugman. Will Grayson, Will Grayson has sold over 10,000 copies and Every Day over 3000 copies in Australia and New Zealand Early reading copies available

How does one talk about love? Is it even possible to describe something at once utterly mundane and wholly transcendent, that has the power to consume our lives completely, while making us feel part of something infinitely larger than ourselves? Taking a unique approach to this age-old problem, the nameless narrator of David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary constructs the story of a relationship as a dictionary. Through these sharp entries, he provides an intimate window into the great events and quotidian trifles of coupledom, giving us an indelible and deeply moving portrait of love in our time.

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance. When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right. This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

The New York Times bestselling author of Every Day, Someday, and Two Boys Kissing is back with a short story collection about love! A resentful member of a high school Quiz Bowl team with an unrequited crush. A Valentine's Day in the life of Every Day's protagonist "A." A return to the characters of Two Boys Kissing. 19 Love Songs, from New York Times bestselling author David Levithan, delivers all of these stories and more. Born from Levithan's tradition of writing a story for his friends each Valentine's Day, this collection brings all of them to his readers for the first time. With fiction, nonfiction, and a story in verse, there's something for every reader here. Witty, romantic, and honest, teens (and adults) will come to this collection not only on Valentine's Day, but all year round.

Parker Stanhope has played soccer practically since she could walk. And now that she’s a high school junior, everything she’s worked for is finally coming together. She’s paid her dues on the field, and as an upperclassman, she’s a shoo-in for the varsity team. But that’s not what happens. This year, Coach Hartley moved up every JV player but two—and one of those two was Parker. Now, she’s stuck with the freshmen, her friends are cutting her loose, and her love of the game is seriously beginning to fail. But Parker is determined to get her life back. She has to get on the varsity team, and she has the perfect plan. All she needs now is the right kind of coach. Tina Ferraro lives in southern California. You can visit her online at www.tinaferraro.com.

Sweet sixteen and never been kissed . . . That’s Aurora Skye’s big secret. And the way she wants it to stay. She’s not going to give away her first kiss to just anyone. Busy dodging suitors and matchmaking for her best friends, Aurora (not so) patiently awaits her prince. But everything changes when Aurora is coerced into a lead role in the school production of Much Ado about Nothing. Which means she’ll have to lock lips with her co-star Hayden Paris—the smart and funny boy next door who also happens to be the bane of her existence, always around to see her at her worst. Now Aurora is more determined than ever to have her first kiss with the one who’s truly worthy of it. But first she’ll have to figure out just who that person is. Romantic and funny, Tara Eglington's How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You is a feel-good tale of finding love where you least expect it.