Book Description
for Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Leah takes the main stage in this companion novel to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. In their senior year of high school, Leah and her ethnically diverse friends are busy preparing for the near future while trying to savor their final few months together. While most of the others explore their many college options, Leah, who doesn’t enjoy the same economic privilege, has already applied and been accepted to the University of Georgia. As it turns out, Leah and her friend Abby are in the same boat, so they decide to take a road trip to visit the school together. Closeted, bisexual Leah, who is “always weird around Abby” (perhaps because Abby is so pretty and sweet), begins to fall for her friend as they spend more time together. However, Leah remains firmly convinced that Abby just isn’t into girls. Chock full of snarky, smart dialogue, this novel offers an unforgettable protagonist who makes mistakes, judges too quickly, and loves fiercely as she sometimes clumsily navigates her senior year and her complex and varied relationships. (Ages 14–18)
CCBC Choices 2019. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2019. Used with permission.