Last of the Summer Tomatoes
Gr 8 Up—Kyle, an inner city kid, is in trouble with the law. While the crime is a relatively minor one, it's not the first time. His stepfather, who abuses Kyle and his mother, is fine with the idea of sending the teen to jail. When his defense attorney suggests a summer work program on a farm instead, Kyle agrees. He is surprised to find that the people who have taken him in are warm, loving, and ready to treat him like their own flesh and blood. When Kyle meets their son, Sam, the protagonist strangely recognizes him from a dream. Kyle starts falling for Sam and is at first shy and ashamed of it, but Sam, who is openly gay, shows him that he doesn't have to be. The novel's major flaw is that the main character's anxiety and insecurity about everything, from whether he can have seconds at breakfast to falling in love with a boy, is shown through stuttering dialogue, making the book difficult to read. And even after it's clear that he has Sam's love, Kyle doesn't stay in touch with Sam after the summer, sure that he will have found someone better at college. Lack of character development, an episodic plot, and awkward dialogue make this a strictly additional purchase.—Nancy Silverrod, San Francisco Public Library