Way to Go

by Tom Ryan

Overview

Danny thinks he must be the only seventeen-year-old guy in Cape Breton—in Nova Scotia, maybe—who doesn't have his life figured out. His buddy Kierce has a rule for every occasion, and his best friend Jay has bad grades, no plans and no worries. Danny's dad nags him about his post-high-school plans, his friends bug him about girls and a run-in with the cops means he has to get a summer job. Worst of all, he's keeping a secret that could ruin everything.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459800793
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
File size:	558 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Tom Ryan is the award-winning author of several acclaimed books for young readers. He has been nominated for multiple awards, including the White Pine Award, the Ann Connor Brimer Award and the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award. His YA mystery Keep This to Yourself was the winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best YA Thriller and the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for Best YA Crime Book. Two of his books were Junior Library Guild selections, and three of his young adult novels, Way to Go, Tag Along and Keep This to Yourself, were chosen for the ALA Rainbow List, in 2013, 2014 and 2020. He was a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow in Young Adult Fiction. Tom, his husband and their dog live in Nova Scotia.

Read an Excerpt

Maybe Lisa had appeared out of nowhere for a reason. I was kind of like a frog in a fairy tale who needed a kiss from a princess so he could turn into a prince. Only, instead of a frog, I was a might-be-gay kid who needed straightening out, and instead of a princess, she was a cigarette-smoking tattooed city girl with a bag full of mix tapes. I figured that was close enough.

Editorial Reviews

As summer vacation begins on the sland of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, 17-year-old Danny feels lost, with no career aspirations and the burden of hiding that he’s gay. He’s also having trouble relating to his two best friends—brash, confident Kierce and laid-back Jay. When Danny starts working at a new restaurant as a dishwasher, he discovers a passion for cooking, becomes sous chef at the restaurant, and bonds with Lisa, a hip and sophisticated waitress from New York City with troubles of her own. Set in 1994 (when the author was himself a teenager), Ryan’s debut novel focuses on Danny’s frustrations and self-doubt (“Being gay was the last thing on earth that I wanted, but my body refused to cooperate with my brain”). Though Danny’s angst and dithering may frustrate gay teens who are comparatively more self-confident in their sexuality, those who, like Danny, feel like “an island of gayness in an ocean of straightness,” should identify with his search for a path of his own. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"With a cast of authentic characters, Tom Ryan explores the topic of coming out in a small town...Way to Go speaks not only directly to teens coming to terms with being gay, but also to anyone who feels like an outsider."

Amy's Marathon of Books blog

"This coming out/coming of age story is a clean, quick and easy read."

NJ Youth Services

"A very well done book about a front-burner topic, it makes a fine addition to the 'I think I'm gay' genre. Danny is very believable, and unlike so many 'issue' novels, the supporting characters are fully realized and multi-dimensional...A lot of kids will benefit from reading it...It's a story that absolutely needs to be told, and the author's approach succeeds beautifully. Excellent."

Follett Library Resources - John Wetterholt

Danny's coming of age summer is about more than just his sexuality; he's also discovering who he wants to be as a person and what he wants to do as a career...This book's Canadian-ness sets it apart from a lot of other coming of age novels, and that's important, because while Canada shares a lot of culture with America, there are some differences.

Crowding The Book Truck blog

"There's a lot to love about this story, and with every character so complex and every subplot full of intrigue, Way to Go has something to offer so many readers, gay or straight, boy or girl. This isn't a coming out story. It’s a coming of age story. And I promise, it will make you laugh, too."

www.ekristinanderson.com

"Danny is a believable character, and students struggling with the same issue will identify with him..It is a well-written book on the topics of homosexuality and friendship."

Southwest Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group

"From page one I was swept into Danny's world. Tom Ryan wrote a book that I will read over and over again...This book was phenomenal and I recommend it to everyone."

Doodle's Book Blog

"There's a lot to love about this story, and with every character so complex and every subplot full of intrigue, Way to Go has something to offer so many readers, gay or straight, boy or girl. This isn't a coming out story. It's a coming of age story. And I promise, it will make you laugh, too."

ekristinanderson.com

"An enjoyable, sensitive and poignant portrait of a summer in the life of a (maybe) gay teen. Danny's search to understand his sexuality will be helpful to others in similar situations and will be enlightening to others who are simply curious about the experiences of young people coming to terms with being gay...An important addition to books available for young readers."

keenreaders.org

"Ryan easily finds the voices of the teens, male and female, gay and straight, as well as the adults with whom they interact, as if he has been all those people and speaks from experience."

CanLit for Little Canadians blog

"An enjoyable, sensitive and poignant portrait of a summer in the life of a (maybe) gay teen. Danny's search to understand his sexuality will be helpful to others in similar situations and will be enlightening to others who are simply curious about the experiences of young people coming to terms with being gay...An important addition to books available for young readers."

www.keenreaders.org

"The characters are all very well developed. The plot was solid and the setting of the book was presented in such as way that I actually felt like I was there...[A] light, fun read and...a good introduction to this genre."

www.examiner.com

"Ryan aptly shows the confusion a young adult feels when determining his/her sexuality...Dan's story is one that will entertain and educate...Ryan definitely has something to offer to young adults who might be pondering how best to navigate the murky waters of sexual self-discovery."

Tri State YA Book Review Committee

"This book is a truly life-changing one. It will make you question your views and the way you inflict them on others."

YALSA YA Galley Teen Review

"Tom Ryan's deft hand at teen angst makes one wonder if a percentage of the story is autobiographical...The main characters have depth and realistic flaws that make the book a good read for high school students."

Southwest Ohio and Neighboring Libraries (SWON)

"Danny's coming of age summer is about more than just his sexuality; he's also discovering who he wants to be as a person and what he wants to do as a career...This book's Canadian-ness sets it apart from a lot of other coming of age novels, and that's important, because while Canada shares a lot of culture with America, there are some differences."

Crowding the Book Truck blog

"Ryan has an engaging writing style and nicely captures the angst of being a teenager—and the excitement...Ryan's portrait of rural Nova Scotia doesn't avoid the issues of the limitations of small-town life in the Maritimes but he makes it equally clear that it's a world that not everyone wants to escape from. Way to go, Tom Ryan!"

Canadian Children's Book News

A very well done book about a front-burner topic, it makes a fine addition to the 'I think I'm gay' genre. Danny is very believable, and unlike so many 'issue' novels, the supporting characters are fully realized and multi-dimensional...A lot of kids will benefit from reading it...It's a story that absolutely needs to be told, and the author's approach succeeds beautifully. Excellent.
— John Wetterholt

Follett Library Resources

"The characters are all very well developed. The plot was solid and the setting of the book was presented in such as way that I actually felt like I was there...[A] light, fun read and...a good introduction to this genre."

examiner.com

"The characters are wonderfully written and are brought to life more by their words and actions than simply by descriptions...While Way to Go deals with serious topics, such as sexual orientation, identity, self-acceptance, friendship and family, Tom Ryan keeps the story moving and does not let it get too heavy or depressing for the reader...An excellent coming-of-age story that will appeal to a variety of readers."

CM Magazine

"The theme of the book is relevant: exploring your sexuality and dealing with peer pressure to be someone you aren't. Recommended."

Library Media Connection

"This engaging book about a reluctantly gay adolescent is more about finding one's way in life than it is about gender...The subplots in this book work well with the main storyline and the absence of any contrived or strident posturing is very reassuring. This book deserves all the respect a reader can give it."

Resource Links

"This insightful first book is a quick, interesting, and pleasurable read. The life lessons are important and the style and tone are excellent...The story is well-told and the topic of being gay is handled with grace."

VOYA

"The [novel's] realism adds to its considerable emotional impact."

Quill & Quire

Gr 10 Up—It's 1994 in the small Canadian seaside town of Deep Cove, and three 17-year-old boys are ready to spend the summer picking up girls, although Dan is questioning whether that's what he really wants. When he turns down prospects for easy sex, his friend Kierce gets suspicious and taunts him with the rumors that he's gay. Danny desperately wants not to be and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life. In a new job at a restaurant, he meets Lisa, a sophisticated girl from New York City who he hopes will inspire sexual passion, but he finds a passion for cooking instead. This coming-of-age, coming-out story, a first novel, barely scratches the surface of what could be deep soul-searching. The teen's revelation to friends and family and their quick acceptance seem too easy, and references to mid-'90s pop and movie stars are likely to baffle contemporary readers.—Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA

School Library Journal