Like Glen Huser's first young adult novel, Touch of the Clown, this one deals with marginalized Alberta kids struggling with social problems. Travis knows he is different from the other boys in his junior high school. He is interested in fashion, sewing, and puppets, and has odd feelings for Malcolm, the class heartthrob. Travis and his friend, Chantelle, lead difficult lives. He's misunderstood and bullied, while she's disabled. However, with the help of an understanding home-economics teacher, Travis focuses on a puppet production of A Midsummer Night's Dream for school graduation.
The problems of gay teens at school are serious and worth examining in young adult fiction especially in our culture where there's so much bullying and meanness between kids of all ages at school. Travis's teachers and the aunt who looks after him are too good to be true, and the bullies are one-dimensional bad guys. In addition, the dialogue sometimes seems to be bit strained.
For example, Travis's mother, a country-and-western singer who's always on the road, speaks in folksy homilies, describing someone in one instance as being "tighter than leotards at a Weight Watchers convention." Most seriously, Travis, despite his determination to take sewing class, is a passive character who doesn't solve his own problems — that's left to Chantelle's biker brothers with hearts of gold.
Stitches is a brave attempt to present different kids in a sympathetic light. It may appeal to adults who want to read and learn about these issues, especially about how they are dealt with in children's literature. The story is full of cliches though, taking away from some of the important elements of the story.
I loved the book. The cover is so super-cute and it's nice to know that the kids in this story love to sew and do other stuff than being on social media. It's a great story, even though the topic is a bit heavy in places.
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