My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park. Steve Kluger. New York: Dial Books, 2008. 403 pages. $16.99 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-8037-3227-8. Grades 8-12.
Love is a best friend turned brother, the Boston Red Sox, Broadway, the new girl in class, an imaginary nanny or fighting for a cause you believe in. Love is all of these things and a million more to the characters in Steve Kluger’s debut novel for young adults. Set in Boston, My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park explores what it is like growing up and coming in to your own with the assistance of friends and family. Three unlikely friends: jock, funny guy, and die hard Red Sox fan Anthony "T.C." Keller; flamboyant, musical obsessed, diva Augie Hwong; and know it all, theatre phenom and diplomat’s daughter Alejandra "Ale" Perez recount their ninth grade year and how it made them who they are. Kluger places readers in each character’s mind as he alternates point of view with each chapter, giving each experience a unique flavor. Style and format are also flawlessly executed with his seamless inclusion of letters, e-mails, memos and chat sessions throughout the narratives. This book is not only entertaining, but relatable and relevant to the experiences of today’s teens. Questions of sexuality and civil rights along with dealing with loss, responsibility and love make this a well rounded, informative book for young adults. Highly Recommended
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