Off*Beat, vol. 1, by Jen Lee Quick. Los Angeles: Tokyopop, 2005.

TOP TEN

ISBN: 978-1598161328

Annotation: Fifteen-year-old Tory is obsessed with a secretive new neighbor, Colin; Tory tries to sort out his confused feelings through his compulsive journaling.

Illustrations: pen and ink

4Q/5P

Possible Challenge: The crush Tory develops on his neighbor Colin and the progression of their relationship towards something more than friendship may be upsetting to some parents if they are uncomfortable with materials for teens that deal with homosexuality. My response to challenges of this book’s inclusion in the collection would be to encourage parents to read the book themselves and then talk it over with their children. I would point out that the well-written characters and relatable situations offer great fodder for open-ended conversations about relationships in general; the book treats all the characters as people first, rather than being overly concerned with questions of gender and sexual orientation. It’s a valuable addition to a library’s collection because it gives teens a drama about relationships that is compelling and entertaining, yet also intelligent, perceptive, and thought-provoking.

Use of Onomatopoeia: Off*Beat makes use of onomatopoeia on nearly every page: for example, p. 97-98, “Clench,” “Stomp stomp,” “Diiing dooong diiing,” etc.

DM 7/30/09