Boy Meets Boy

This book really made me think about our society vs. the way the book was written. When I first started out reading it, I felt that Paul was going to wake up from a dream because the book was written so unrealistically. I feel very strongly that this kind of book will give a view of the world that a GLBTQ child or teenager that is unrealistic. Paul realized that he was a homosexual before kindergarten, how realistic is this? His teacher then wrote on his report card that he "was definitely gay"; how realistic is this? His community and others at the school were also very accepting of his sexual choice and the others in the school such as lesbians, cross dressers, other gay boys, and even bi-sexual teens. In what school would the teachers, parents, and other students be this accepting of a person who is non-heterosexual? Also Paul's parents were very accepting of his sexual preference, acting how my parents would if I would to bring home a boy, if it were be a girl I brought home, they would definitely not react the same way. How realistic is this?
My main issue with this book is just that I feel that children will have a very unrealistic view of how society will view and act towards them if they are part of the GLBTQ group. Are books showing such acceptance good for children to read?

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

I really liked this book! I was not sure what to expect after looking at the cover and reading the title, but the first page of text does a really good job of showing what the context will be. I think that it is good how Sarah Littman shows that children often question their religious background. I remember when I was growing up I visited a friends church where they got to sing songs and it was a lot more laid back and relaxed than my church; it was a Baptist church and I am Catholic. After that experience I wanted to know more about that branch of religion but I felt like I would be betraying my own so I never said anything to anyone about it. This book shows children that it is okay to question and be curious.
I also think Littman did a good job by making it a humorous book. The fact that she is in a closet confessing to her teddy bear, Father Joseph, made me laugh every time she went in there. Also aside from the humor, it is also informational. There are thing such as the traditional foods that are eaten by this culture and information about some of the different traditions or holidays. Also that she made it a semi-serious book with Bubbe having a stroke and then passing away. It is a book that all children can read, it is not aimed at just one group, which I think is very important! All in all I thought it was a very good book!