YA books have the best ‘gay’ stories nowadays. I am continually amazed on how inclusive and accepting young people are when it comes to sexual orientation.I always say that my generation was the last generation to make a big deal about sexuality – after me we have kids who grew up watching reruns of Will and grace so to them it’s really no big deal.

Robbie Couch’s ‘The Sky Blues’ shows us that kids nowadays still have a tough time, though. There are still stray bullies out there who probably are being raised to be bigots by their parents. But this book also shows that those kids are in the minority – most younger people rally behind those who are oppressed.

I was attracted to the book’s premise, about a teenager, Sky, wanting to ask a fellow student to the prom. But there were big holes in the plot for me. First of all, kind of don’t like stories where gay men obsess over straight guys. Secondly, there were too many convenient coincidences in the plot to make it truly believable for me, especially in the ‘mystery’ part of the story. But it was a pleasant enough of a read for me.