Losing It

by Keith Gray, Andrew Smith, Melvin Burgess, A. S. King, Anne Fine

Overview

A travesty. A violation. An ecstasy. A disappointment. An instant. A lie. A theft. A rite of passage. Whatever you call it, there's only one first time.

A.S. King, Melvin Burgess, Keith Gray, Patrick Ness, Anne Fine, Sophie McKenzie, Bali Rai, Jenny Valentine, Mary Hooper, and Andrew Smith. Some of today's leading international YA authors contributed to this hard-hitting collection of original short stories: some funny, some moving, some haunting, but all revolving around the same subject—virginity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467739733
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	196
File size:	898 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Smack, winner of the Carnegie Medal. He lives in England.
Anne Fine is the author of more than 50 books for young readers and was the Children’s Laureate of Great Britain. She lives in England.
Mary Hooper is the author of Newes from the Dead. She lives in England.
A.S. King is the award-winning author of young adult books including the 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Ask the Passengers, Everybody Sees the Ants, 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and the upcoming Reality Boy. After fifteen years living self-sufficiently and teaching literacy to adults in Ireland, she now lives in Pennsylvania with her small, freakish family. Find more at www.as-king.com.
Sophie McKenzie is the author of Close My Eyes. She lives in England.
Patrick Ness is the author of A Monster Calls, winner of the Carnegie Medal. He lives in England.
Bali Rai is the author of Killing Honour. He lives in England.
Jenny Valentine is the author of Me, the Missing, and the Dead, a William Morris Honor book. She lives in Wales.
Andrew Smith is the author of many young adult novels, including Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle. Besides writing, Andrew Smith is a runner. He has completed more than 30 marathons and off-road triathlons in his life. He enjoys the outdoors, and lives in a very remote area of California with his wife Jocelyn, son Trevin, and daughter Chiara, where they raise horses.

Editorial Reviews

"This collection of short stories about firsts—specifically first sexual experiences—includes series, comic, tragic, historical, and cultural selections. Contributors include Melvin Burgess, Patrick Ness, A.S. King, Andrew Smith, and several other, mostly well-known YA authors. Some entries are stronger than others, and cover the gamut: a Victorian girl having to turn to prostitution in order to help support her brothers, a nerdy boy paired with a 'reformed slut' for a class project, a boy wondering if all the sexual fooling around with a male friend means he's no longer a virgin, a girl picked up for shoplifting a music CD for her boyfriend, an Indian girl vising her relatives who finally learns the truth about the death of her aunt, a student athlete wondering if he will ruin the team's chances in the championship game if he has sex, and a health teacher remembering her experiences as a teen. The stories are uniformly engaging and polished, but a few reference British personalities and incidents with which most readers will not be familiar. None of the stories are graphic, but the subject alone will interest older teens and give insight into this rite of passage." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2013-09-15
The "it" in question is likely just what those noticing the title will expect in this beautifully varied collection of 10 short stories about teens losing their virginity. Most of the well-known authors here have a flair for getting inside the heads of the people about whom they write, and common themes emerge. Often wickedly funny and deceptively insightful, these stories are populated with multidimensional characters who delve into issues such as body shame, reputation and the disconnect involved for teens in talking honestly with adults about sex. One of the undeniable jewels here is the offering by Patrick Ness, "Different for Boys," which carries off a brilliant metaexamination of the supposedly controversial nature of writing about sex for teens by using black bars to censor sexual language. "Certain words are necessary…but you can't actually show 'em because we're too young to read about the stuff we actually do, yeah?" remarks the protagonist. The only real break in the cohesion is a work of historical fiction by Mary Hooper, in which an impoverished young woman is forced into prostitution--its melodramatic tone is at odds with the contemporary feel of the rest. This is a fresh, smart collection with a can't-lose subject. (Short stories. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews