Scholastic Booktalk

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Published in June 2005 by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic

"A touching, sometimes hilarious coming-out story…The wry, first-person narrative is wonderful." – Booklist, starred review

"Funny, warm-hearted, with a cast of quirky yet recognizable characters….LaRochelle's first book provides a nice counterpoint to less gentle, more tension-filled coming-out stories, making it a good addition for a younger audience." Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Will entertan readers no matter which team they play for." – Kirkus Reviews

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Steven is certain he's not gay. He absolutely can't be gay. Can he?

Hi. My name is Steven. I'm a sophomore in high school and I'm not gay. I'm absolutely and positively not gay. So what if my best friend's a girl and I suck at sports, and can't stop thinking about how cute Mr. Bowan, one of my teachers, is. I'm still not gay.

But trying not to be gay is harder than it looks. I tore up the two magazines I'd hidden under the bed — Men's Underwear Catalog and International Male — and started putting pictures from the Victoria's Secret catalog on the walls of my bedroom. I was sure if I looked at them long enough, I'd eventually find them arousing. I even started dating girls. I had 23 dates with 21 girls. I guess the first one and the last one were the most memorable.

For my first date I asked Bree Caruthers, the most popular girl in school, to go to the movies. I picked the one with the most romantic title — You and Me and Love. How was I supposed to know it was boy-boy romance, not girl-boy romance? My last date was with Solveig, our school's Norwegian foreign exchange student. We were supposed to go to the movies, but she drove us out to this deserted clearing and said she wanted to make out. Man, she was all over me, and I did my best to respond — but nothing. Finally I just said stop and she took me home.

I gave up and took the sexy women in their underwear off my wall and threw them in the trash. Then I called my best friend Rachel and asked if I could come over and talk. But when I told her I thought I might be gay, she wasn't surprised at all. In fact, she said, "It's about time!" She — and her parents — had figured out a year ago that I was gay!

But how could they know when I didn't know? Does everybody know? Ohmygod — does Mr. Bowman know I'm gay and that sometimes he's the only thing I can think about? What am I going to do? I'm absolutely, positively sure I'm not gay — or am I?

This Booktalk was written by librarian and booktalking expert Joni R. Bodart

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  The Teacher Store
  	Absolutely, Positively Not by David LaRochelle null $16.95 Hardcover Book | Grades 7-Up

  
  Absolutely, Positively Not
  Grades 7-Up $16.95
  
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  The Scholastic Store

  Absolutely Positively Not by David LaRochelle Sixteen-year-old Steven relishes square dancing, drools over his male health teacher's musculature, and keeps a stash of International Male catalogs underneath his bed, but is determined that he is absolutely, positively not gay. In an eager crack to prove his heterosexuality, he futilely attempts to buy a Playboy magazine, tries mingling with the meathead jocks at lunch, and embarks on a series of disastrous dates with girls from his class. $8.99 books;paperbacks | Ages 12 and Up

  
  Absolutely Positively Not
  Ages 12 and Up $8.99