Khorram’s debut novel is filled with insight into the lives of teens, weaving together the reality of living with mental illness while also dealing with identity and immigration politics. For the first time in a long time, Darius learns to love himself no matter what external forces attempt to squash his confidence. Sohrab teaches Darius what friendship is really about: loyalty, honesty, and someone who has your back in a football (soccer) match. But all that changes when Darius meets Sohrab, a Bahá’í boy, in Yazd. When he arrives in Iran, learning to play the Persian card game Rook, socializing, and celebrating Nowruz with a family he had never properly met before is all overwhelming and leaves Darius wondering if he’ll ever truly belong anywhere. He’s mocked for his name and nerdy interests at Chapel Hill High School in Portland, Oregon, and doesn’t speak enough Farsi to communicate with his Iranian relatives either. Iranian on his mother’s side and white American on his father’s side, Darius never quite fits in. When Darius’ grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life. 12+)ĭarius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. Though not as perfectly realized as Squashed! (1992), this is a fine romance, with plenty of hitches. is a hilarious, self-consciously angst-ridden teen of the first order, and though readers know from the first moment of her decision what's in store for her, it's to Bauer's credit that this wacky ride through adolescent affairs of the heart never grows predictable. is dateless again, but now she revels in it. When the spell is, as it must be, ultimately reversed, A.J. As a result of her choice, Peter becomes A.J.'s love toy, nearly sick with his worship of her and making spectacles of them both wherever they go. is mired in a deep, very funny funk when a love-worn, mournful but supremely helpful cupid named Jonathan appears and offers her academic, artistic, or romantic success (or at least, her idea of romantic success). The former is suffering from the latter and A.J.

McCreary, 17, lives for two things: her photography and her as-yet unrequited love for class hunk Peter Terris.

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