Red, White, and Royal Blue meets The West Wing in Jasper Sanchez’s electric and insightful #ownvoices YA debut, chronicling a transmasculine student’s foray into a no-holds-barred student body president election against the wishes of his politician father.
Vaseline on the teeth makes a smile shine. It’s a cheap stunt, but Mark Adams knows it’s optics that can win or ruin an election.
Everything Mark learned about politics, he learned from his father, the congressman who still pretends he has a daughter and not a son. To protect his father’s image, Mark promises to keep his past hidden and pretend to be the cis guy everyone assumes he is. But when he sees a manipulatively charming candidate for student body president inflame dangerous rhetoric, Mark decides to risk the low profile he assured his father and insert himself as a political challenger.
One big problem? No one really knows Mark. He didn’t grow up in this town, and he has few friends; plus, the ones he does have aren’t exactly with the in-crowd. Still, thanks to countless seasons of Scandal and The West Wing, these nerds know where to start: from campaign stops to voter polling to a fashion makeover. Soon Mark feels emboldened to get in front of and engage with voters—and even start a new romance. But with an investigative journalist digging into his past, a father trying to silence him, and a bully front-runner who stands in his way, Mark will have to decide which matters most: perception or truth, when both are just as dangerous.Content warning.
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Gr 9 Up–In a California high school where the Gay/Straight Alliance consists of straight white students, a group of queer and non-cisgender friends find refuge in French Club. It doesn’t matter that most of them don’t take French. Being LGBTQIA+ in a heteronormative environment is not easy and they need each other. Mark is the transitioning son of a politician who would prefer to pretend that he does not exist, so Mark tries to stay out of the public eye. But when a peer is attacked for being gay and the school administration does nothing, Mark decides to run for class president, representing change. Every kid deserves a safe space, acceptance, and love. Mark is ready to start the movement, even if it exposes who he really is to the community. This could be a heavy read but humor and vivid imagery keep it moving. The relationships within Mark’s friend group are heartwarming, inclusive, and intelligent. The plot is not neat and tidy but drips with realism. Mark is white and diversity in gender identity, sexuality, and religion is exemplified in the cast. VERDICT A recommended purchase for any library but especially those where books by Becky Albertalli and Benjamin Alire Sáenz are popular.–Claire Covington, Broadway H.S., VA