Matthews, Andrew. The flip side, a novel.MATTHEWS, Andrew. The flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). , a novel. Random House, Dell Laurel-Leaf. 147p. c2003. 0-440-23824-2. $5.50. JS To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2003: This gender-bender YA novel is written by a British author of more than 50 books who had been a high school English teacher for many years before writing for young people. By page 10, we find ourselves with the main characters in an English class, talking about Shakespeare. "I reckon reck·on v. reck·oned, reck·on·ing, reck·ons v.tr. 1. To count or compute: reckon the cost. See Synonyms at calculate. 2. Shakespeare must have been some sort of perv, Miss." And why? "Well, he's got this girl making out she's a boy making out he's a girl. That's a bit iffy if·fy adj. if·fi·er, if·fi·est Informal Doubtful; uncertain: an iffy proposition. [From if. , isn't it?" And that's the beginning. When our hero Robert pretends to be Rosalind in the play, he realizes some side of himself he never knew existed, and he kind of likes her, er, him. Then the girl of his dreams, Milena, thinks he's special too once she sees him as Rosalind, and she encourages his cross-dressing Cross-dressing Dressing in clothing that is stereotypical of the opposite sex. Mentioned in: Gender Identity Disorder . When Robert's parents go away for a weekend, he and Milena cross-dress to attend a party. Robert's father catches them kissing when he unexpectedly comes home early, and he's taken aback because here's Robert dressed as a girl kissing a boy. Explanations are in order. And explanations aren't so easily understood, by anyone. Robert can't understand why he enjoys being a girl: Milena doesn't know if she is attracted to Robert, or to Robert as a girl; and their friend Kevin just then gets the nerve to come out of his closet as a homosexual--what does it all mean? Kevin doesn't want to dress like a girl--he's a boy who likes other boys. Is Milena a girl who really likes other girls, or just Robert dressed as a girl? Not every teenager Teenager See also Adolescence. Ah, Wilderness! high-school senior has problems with girls and his father. [Am. Drama: O’Neill Ah, Wilderness! in Sobel, 15] Aldrich, Henry teenaged film character of the 1940s. [Am. is ready to go into this labyrinth labyrinth (lăb`ərĭnth), intricate building of chambers and passages, often constructed so as to perplex and confuse a person inside. . But those who are will find this short novel intelligent and the characters endearing en·dear·ing adj. Inspiring affection or warm sympathy: the endearing charm of a little child. en·dear . And, anyway, didn't Shakespeare start it all? Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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