Review: Every Day (Levithan)

	AUTHOR: David Levithan SERIES: none PUBLISHER: Knopf PUBLICATION DATE: August 28, 2012 ISBN: 9780307931887 PAGES: 322 SOURCE: borrowed GENRE: magical realism, light fantasy, paranormal SETTING: various towns in Maryland, present day GIVE IT TO: MS, HS

SUMMARY: Sixteen-year old "A", who wakes up in a different body every single day, falls in love for the first time.

REVIEW: One of my high school students lent this to me, saying she loved it and thinks I would, too. She was totally right--I did love this book. It's one of the more unique romances I've read, and I love how I truly had no idea how A's story could possibly work out.

A is about 20 or so different people throughout the course of the book. I love this! A is still A, no matter what body he/she occupies. Though all the bodies are age 16 (that's how old A is), they are all very different. Some have nice, comfortable lives. Others, not so much. I loved ending the day with one life and anticipating where A might end up the next day. I also loved seeing some of the lives later on and witnessing some of the fallout of what A experienced or did while he was in those bodies.

I love the gender-bending aspect of this story, how A is neither male nor female and falls for Rhiannon's soul despite her particular gender. Librarians concerned about books containing homosexuality might want to read this first, but I would have no qualms about including Every Day in my library collection, even at the middle school level. The kissing scenes (2 girls) are well-written and not at all gratuitous. These characters are in love, and the writing and tenderness of the scenes reflect that beautifully.

There is insta-love here, normally the kiss-of-death in my reviews. A falls for Rhiannon in only one day, but in this rare case, I'm letting the insta-love slide. A only HAS one day to fall for Rhiannon; if A had more time, the title would need to be Every Month or Every Year, making this a different story altogether. This is more about the romantic connection between two souls. A does not talk about Rhiannon's hot bod or how gorgeous she looks in a dress. It isn't important to know what color Rhiannon's hair is or if she is pretty or if she is tall. A isn't in love with her image--A feels connected with Rhiannon's soul, a connection A has never felt before. That may or may not be true love, but considering how lonely and alone A has always been, it's easy enough to see why A would believe in it.

THE BOTTOM LINE: It's very unique, well-written, and I recommend it highly.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: We have it, and I've been talking it up for a few days. Our one copy is out with two holds. Very easy to booktalk this one!

READALIKES:The Fault in Our Stars (Green); Time Between Us (Stone)

RATING BREAKDOWN:

• Overall: 5/5
• Creativity: 5/5
• Characters: 4/5
• Engrossing: 5/5
• Writing: 5/5
• Appeal to teens: 5/5
• Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:

• Language: none that I remember
• Sexuality: medium--a few F/F kissing scenes, M/F kissing scenes (one without clothes), 1 almost-intercourse scene
• Violence: none
• Drugs/Alcohol: mild; characters drink at party, one "body" is addicted to alcohol
  
• Other: suicidal thoughts/writing