Billy Bloom is a high school drag queen who wants to make an
impression on his first day at a new high school. Billy loves to dress in
feminine clothing and wear make-up and makes a grand entrance at his
ultra-conservative high school. It just
doesn’t go as his expected. They begin
to taunt him, bully him and call him names. Billy acquires an unlikely friend during all
of this. It is Flip, the star
quarterback. Then one day, Billy comes
dress to school in full drag queen attire and is attacked. The attack is so brutal that he ends up in
the hospital. Flip rescues him and then
visits him daily afterwards at home.
They begin to develop a special friendship. After Billy heals, he decides to run for
homecoming queen. His determination to
stand up to the bullies earns him the respect of other classmates and
especially those who feel as though they do not have a voice. Billy doesn’t win the homecoming crown but he
feels that he has earned so much more. He
earned the respect of others, his father’s acceptance and the love of
Flip.
This modern realistic fiction story deals with sexual
orientation and coming to terms with your sexual identity. This is such a great book for high school
students who may be dealing with bullying and school violence. Billy’s character is one of determination and
strength. He displayed that you should
be proud of who you are and stand up for yourself as well. It also lets them see that bullying and
school violence can happen anywhere.
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