Starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist * YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers * ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults List * 2017 Rainbow

A sharply honest and moving debut perfect for fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Ask the Passengers.

Riley Cavanaugh is many things: Punk rock. Snarky. Rebellious. And gender fluid. Some days Riley identifies as a boy, and others as a girl. But Riley isn't exactly out yet. And between starting a new school and having a congressman father running for reelection in ber-conservative Orange County, the pressure--media and otherwise--is building up in Riley's life.

On the advice of a therapist, Riley starts an anonymous blog to vent those pent-up feelings and tell the truth of what it's really like to be a gender fluid teenager. But just as Riley's starting to settle in at school--even developing feelings for a mysterious outcast--the blog goes viral, and an unnamed commenter discovers Riley's real identity, threatening exposure. And Riley must make a choice: walk away from what the blog has created--a lifeline, new friends, a cause to believe in--or stand up, come out, and risk everything.

From debut author Jeff Garvin comes a powerful and uplifting portrait of a modern teen struggling with high school, relationships, and what it means to be a person.

--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen
Published: 02/02/2016
ISBN: 9780062382863
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.30w x 1.20d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 11/01/2015
Booklist 11/01/2015 pg. 56
Publishers Weekly 11/16/2015
School Library Journal 12/01/2015 pg. 120
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2016
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2016 pg. 123 - Below Average, With Minor Flaw

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 190468 / Symptoms of Being Human
Reading Level: 5.2 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 12