Fiction for Teens

Two teenagers, both with very different stories to tell, meet unexpectedly in an unlikely corner of Chicago. Although they have very different personalities, they have one very important thing in common: they share the same name. The first we meet is a funny, nerdy boy whose best friend is the thoroughly fabulous Tiny Cooper, who seems like he’s dating a new boy every day. The other is a depressed but moody teen who spends all of his spare time on his laptop chatting to his online friend, Isaac. They are both brought together when they are portrayed by their school mates in possibly one of the best musicals to hit the high-school stage.

One of the most obvious things about the book is that it is written by two very popular young adult authors, who alternate their point of view every chapter, with John Green writing the odd numbered chapters and David Leuthian writing the other chapters completely in lowercase, to reflect Will Grayson #2’s personality. I didn’t mind it, but I must admit it takes some time to get used to. I liked both of the Will Graysons for different reasons, but my favourite was the second one because there were more hilarious moments and I thought it was a more accurate portrayal of a teenager.

In John Green’s segment of the story I didn’t really get the whole “cat in a box” (Schrödinger’s cat) at first but when I looked into it online I found it was actually quite simple. I didn’t see how it was necessary in the story – they could have explained it differently.

I felt like the world revolved around Tiny Cooper, and it was more about him than either of the two Wills. He was a funny character, but he could be self-centred sometimes and a little irritating.

All in all, I enjoyed Will Grayson, Will Grayson because it was very realistic. I loved the ending and I think it was fitting for this story.

Next up: Gone by Michael Grant. In a week’s time I’ll give you the lowdown on the first in the popular series!