Like any collection, there were ups and downs, but this one has some very high ups and the downs aren't too low.

David Levithan's and Emma Donoghue's stories made me cry. Jennifer Finney Boylan's was also great. Those are the most memorable, but when I flipped back through I found myself saying "oh yeah, that was good too. And that one was interesting."

Probably my least favorite was a very blah attempt at free verse by Julie Anne Peters, though I like many of her other books. ( )

I was kinda dissapointed by this book. Some of the stories were good but some weren't... ( )

i chose to read 3 stories from this collection. the book features stories (fiction) from twelve popular authors on being glbtq. i read stories by: david levithan, francesca lia block, and julie anne peters. i've read more than one book by each before. although i love david's writing normally, i just couldn't get into his story. i'm still confused as to what it's about. block's story is told through blog entries and emails, and tells the story of a girl who has always identified as straight falling in love with a girl who is in the process of becoming a boy. not her best work but i liked it all the same. the best story for me was peters' story about two lesbians' "first time" with each other and in general. the best way i can describe the writing style was: there were two columns and each was assigned to one of the girls. the story was sensual, truthful, and sexy. loved it! ( )

The story from which the title of this collection comes is by David Levithan. It took me apart. Entirely. I think Levithan writes from the same place L'Engle wrote from- that calm and sure center where love lives, that place of hope untainted by delusion. He's rapidly becoming one of my favorites. I suspect this particular piece resonated so strongly with me because I can remember so clearly the time when all the beautiful boys were dying and we were powerless and afraid and fairly certain we were all in the path of that particular tornado. The sense of having dodged that bullet never leaves me, nor the sense of loss- and to hear those voices again, or Levithan's imagining of what those voices would say, was- oh, hell, I'm crying again just typing this. So, yeah. Best story of the collection, by a mile.

There were some other stand-out stories from some of the usual suspects as well as some unusual suspects (like Gregory Maguire, who turned in a very strong piece about what we leave behind). Margo Lanagan, whose [b:Tender Morsels|2662169|Tender Morsels|Margo Lanagan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1235445952s/2662169.jpg|2687395] was exquisite, gives us a haunting re-imagining of the old poem The Highwayman. Julie Ann Peters takes us inside the heads of two young women having their first sexual experience- told in dual columns with just a little overlap, it was a very effective format.

Four stars because Levithan's story is so strong. Without that, I think it would be a solid three stars for me. ( )

I loved the varied writing styles and story formats. These stories on sexuality and coming of age and discovering oneself are for the new generation, some are funny, most are touching, some made me ponder, all wonderfully beautiful.