The Sky Blues

Gr 9 Up–High school senior Sky’s coming out led to his religious, widowed mother kicking him out. He now lives with his best friend Bree, and she’s helping him plan a “promposal” for his unsuspecting crush, Ali. Together, Bree and Sky write promposal ideas on the wall of his basement room, but when a picture of the wall gets e-blasted to seniors and parents, Sky goes into a tailspin. He is already kicked out, broke, unlikely to get even a community college scholarship, and now this? But more people have his back than he would have guessed. Bree, Ali, and many others decide to help Sky stand up to and expose the bully they know sent the e-blast—but in the end, is that really what Sky wants? Sky and Bree’s families are white, and Sky’s other friends and found family include characters who are Iraqi American, Black, autistic, and trans. In them, the author creates memorable, believable characters who inhabit vivid settings. Couch excels at crafting believable plot twists. This book includes mild swearing, sexual references, and high school partying.