The Inter-Galactic Playground

The Inter-Galactic Playground

Just stumbled across this site, but I must say I'm already impressed, and will checking it out more in days to come. Inter-Galactic Playground is Farah Mendlesohn's blog which focuses primarily on children's science fiction. Looking it over, I'd say children's and the dreaded Young Adult demographic. (What 12-17 year old reader wants to read "young-adult" stuff? I mean if you're a SF reading teen, you probably want the same stuff the adults do, maybe with a few more characters your age, but you sure don't want it to say "young adult" on it. Any teen worth their salt knows (or thinks) that means lit with training wheels.)
err... ahem...
Anyway this looks like a really cool site, and I'm curious to read many of the books described here...

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory...: Levithan, David. Wide Awake. New York: Alfred Knopf, 2006.
There has been a Presidential election, the Gay Jewish candidate won and the conservatives are up in arms. But this is a bit further into the future and the evangelicals have split. The Jesus Freaks are more concerned with community and kindness, leaving homophobia to others. But the election is challenged in Kansas and Duncan's boyfriend decides to go and join the many who refuse to let this election be stolen. Most of the book is about the personal relationships on the bus, and on Duncan's anxiety that he cannot live up to his boyfriend's more radical spirit. It's also about Duncan's belief that the relationship is forever and Jimmy's rather more mature approach. As with Boy Meets Boy (a wonderful utopian novel about a high school) Levithan's protagonist is rather young for his age.