Book Review: Totally Joe by James Howe

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction

Interest Level:
Ages 10 to 14
 
Reading Level:
Lexile 910, Grades 4-8

Book Theme:
Friendship, bullying, LGBT issues
 
Books with Similar Themes: 
Boys Meets Boy by David Levithan, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Bibliographic Information:
Howe, J. (2005). Totally Joe. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
 
Plot: 
The second of The Misfits series, Totally Joe is the story of gay thirteen-year-old Joe Bunch. For a school assignment Joe writes his alphbiography, which is something about him for every letter of the alphabet. In his alphabiography Joe tells about his friends,his childhood, his family (especially his favorite aunt who has to move away), his boyfriend Colin, his life at school, and the school bully. Colin plays a large role in Joe's story because Colin doesn't want people to know they are seeing each other, which makes Joe sad. He wants to be able to be open about who he is dating and not have to hide it, but until Colin is ready (if he is ever ready) that will have to wait. His friend Addie tries to organize a club to support the LGBT students, but some parents try to shut it down, one of them being the mother of the school bully. The school bully taunts Joe throughout the story, and it isn't until the end that Joe decides it's time to take a stand.

Review:  

Totally Joe is a fun and witty book that many tweens will enjoy for both its humor and its likeable characters. Joe is a great character who describes some tough situations in his life in a way that will make the reader empathize with him, and with enough silliness to keep the reader laughing even during Joe's hard times. All of Joe's friends from The Misfits return to Totally Joe and are just as memorable as they were in the first book. Tweens will love Joe and his friends for the bravery,close bonds, and amusing anecdotes. Totally Joe is the kind of book that tweens will enjoy again and again and will make them want to read even more about the adventures of misfits Joe, Addie, Skeezie, and Bobby. Totally Joe is a great book for tweens that can't be more highly recommended!