Wide Awake (22 page)

Also by David Levithan

Boy Meets Boy

Love is never easy. Especially if you’re P
AUL
. He’s a sophomore at a high school like no other—and these are his friends:

I
NFINITE
D
ARLENE
, the homecoming queen
and
star quarterback

J
ONI
, Paul’s best friend who may not be his best friend anymore

T
ONY
, his other best friend, who can’t leave the house unless his parents think he’s going on a date…with a girl

K
YLE
, the ex-boyfriend who won’t go away

R
IP
, the school bookie, who sets the odds…

And N
OAH
. The Boy. The one who changes everything.

L
OVE MEETS LOVE.

C
ONFUSION MEETS CLARITY.

B
OY MEETS BOY.

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

A Lambda Literary Award Winner

         “[A] breakthrough book.”—
Booklist,
Starred

“A refreshing, offbeat romance.”—
Publishers Weekly

Also by David Levithan

The Realm of Possibility

One school. Twenty voices.

Endless possibilities.

There’s the girl who is in love with Holden Caulfield. The boy who wants to be strong who falls for the girl who’s convinced she needs to be weak. The girl who writes love songs for a girl she can’t have. The two boys teetering on the brink of their first anniversary. And everyone in between.

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

         “All teenagers will find themselves, their relationships, and their attitudes toward life, love, and the pursuit of happiness somewhere in these poems.”—
Kirkus Reviews,
Starred

“A realm worth exploring.”—
Publishers Weekly

Also by David Levithan

Are We There Yet?

Elijah and Danny don’t think they have anything in common except their parents. Danny thinks Elijah is a lazy, slacking, clueless dreamer who doesn’t know how to make a living. Elijah thinks Danny is a workaholic, stuck-up, soulless drone who doesn’t know how to make a life. Yes, they’re brothers.

Then their parents trick them into taking a trip to Italy together. Nine days of escape. Nine days of
somewhere else.

Elijah and Danny aren’t sure it’s going to work. Until they each meet a girl—the same girl. Julia. And nothing will ever be the same again.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

“Introspective, moving and honest, this book expresses many dimensions of journey and love.”—
Publishers Weekly

“Slyly witty, poignant, and lyrical.”—
The Bulletin

Also available:

by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Praise for
Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

         “The wattage goes way up as two of the bright lights of contemporary writing for teens come together for an incandescent he said/she said night of storytelling. There’s perfectly captured teen music-geek talk and delicious stuff about kissing and what lies beyond.”

—
Kirkus Reviews,
Starred

         “An emotional, passionate, cathartic, and ultimately hopeful night of wandering, music, and incipient love…. Electric, sexy…and genuinely poignant.”—
The Bulletin,
Starred

A Book Sense 76 Pick • A
Kirkus Reviews
Best Book of the Year An ALA Best Book for Young Adults • An ALA Top Ten Quick Pick

Praise for
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List

“A brilliant tour-de-force—funny, sweet, sly and sexy.”—
Kirkus Reviews

“A witty and highly entertaining exploration of love, friendship, and misunderstanding.”—
School Library Journal

“Naomi and Ely are both vividly drawn, cool, edgy Manhattan kids with tenderness just below their fashion-forward exteriors…. Even readers who long for the pair’s glamorous downtown lifestyle will sympathize with the vulnerable young people living it.”—
The Bulletin

THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A
.
KNOPF

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2006 by David Levithan

All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Visit us on the Web!
www.randomhouse.com/teens

Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
www.randomhouse.com/teachers

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition of this work as follows:

Levithan, David.

Wide awake / by David Levithan.

p. cm.

Summary: In the not-too-distant future, when a gay Jewish man is elected president of the United States, sixteen-year-old Duncan examines his feelings for his boyfriend, his political and religious beliefs, and tries to determine his rightful place in the world.

[1. Homosexuality—Fiction. 2. Politics, Practical—Fiction. 3. Social action—Fiction. 4. Prejudices—Fiction. 5. Elections—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.L5798Wi 2006

[Fic]—dc22

2006000379

Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.

eISBN: 978-0-375-89146-5

v3.0