Rainbow High

by Alex Sanchez

Book Overview

Jason Carrillo, the best-looking athlete in school, has had his eyes on the prize from day one: a scholarship for college.
But then his eyes turn to love -- and Kyle.
Kyle Meeks, swim team star and all-around good guy, is finally in the relationship he wanted. Being in love feels so good, in fact, that he can't imagine giving it up to go to Princeton.
Something he's worked for his entire life.
Nelson...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689854781
• ISBN13: 9780689854781
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Love it!

Anything by Alex Sanchez

There Are No Surprises Here

Nelson, Kyle and Jason whom we met in RAINBOW BOYS are back again, pretty much as we knew them. Well, Nelson has gone from dying his hair lemon-lime to "flame-blue," an appropriate color since he is certainly the flamer of these three. He is the outrageous one who never had a chance of being in anybody's closet, even if he had wanted to. Kyle is still the shy one on the swim team who can "pass" if left alone. Jason, of course, is the high school jock equally attractive to both young men and women. There are no surprises here. We pretty much know where Mr. Sanchez is going with his plot. Will Nelson break up with his new boyfriend Jason because he is HIV positive? Will Kyle go to Princeton rather than to a lesser university even though it means he will be separated from Jason? Will Jason come out to the other members of the basketball team? If he does, will he lose his college scholarship? Will they all attend the senior prom? What this novel does extremely well is provide a story that gay teenagers can read and know that they are not alone, particularly those who live in out-of-the-way towns and attend small high schools. It is comforting to learn that RAINBOW BOYS was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. As in the previous novel, there is information about all kinds of organizations and help for gay teenagers at the end of this novel.

A Wonderful Book...Not just for teens!

I started this book with some trepidation. First, this is a sequel, and I didn't have the benefit of reading its predecessor, Rainbow Boys. (Rest assured, the events from the previous novel are helpfully recapped in the beginning of this one) Secondly, I found this in the young adult/teen section of the bookstore. Don't worry, this funny, sarcastic, and sometimes touching book can be enjoyed just as easily by adults as teenagers. Nelson, Kyle, and Jason are three gay teens navigating through the sometimes happy, sometimes overly maudlin, and always confusing world of high school. This novel opens on the boys' senior years at Walt Whitman High School. Nelson Glassman, the outrageously flamboyant school GSA advocate, is facing problems of his own. An impromptu internet tryst with a complete stranger without protection may have left him poz...HIV positive, that is. Kyle Meeks is in the midst of a reluctant relationship with "megajock" Jason Carillo. Jason, out to only a select few, including his ex-girlfriend, is uncomfortable announcing to the whole world (or at least the entire school populace) that he has a boyfriend. Also, the fact that it's their senior year, they may go their separate ways after graduation, a major case of collegiate confusion, and a whole host of catty and bitchy situations, is the perfect recipe for a truly fun read. Teenagers will revel at the rebelliousness and free-spiritedness of the lead characters, and the steamy slow scenes, (PG-13 at the most) in good taste, never get *too* out of hand.This, obviously, is not War and Peace, or The Diary of Anne Frank. It is, however, a fun read that will make a couple of days (or hours, depending on how voraciously you read) pass with more enjoyment.The ending leaves plenty of room for another sequel, so expect one soon. Here's to Alex Sanchez and the continuing adventures of Nelson, Kyle, and Jason.

Excellent Sequel

Alex Sanchez deserves a tremendous amount of praise for writing such an excellent sequel to his immensely popular Rainbow Boys. Two of Alex's signature writing methods shown through this time, too. Those being his succinct writing style and the rotation of the chapters where we get the point of view from Jason, Kyle, then Nelson.By writing about three distinct personalities, Mr. Sanchez gave us a perfect way to easily follow their lives. And, whereas I felt the most for Jason in the first novel, this time I seemed to focus more on what Kyle was going thru. Perhaps this is what Alex wanted us to experience, I'm not sure. Regardless, his writing method worked.Despite giving this story 5 stars, I felt that the interruptions that kept the boys from being intimate with others was a bit contrived. I believe that his boys should have been given more moments to be together (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) than the single instance between Kyle and Jason that was depicted (which was very tastefully done, BTW). Otherwise, the various interactions amongst the characters (boys and girls) was spot on.Speaking as a writer and not as a reader, I have to say that one of the best parts of the construction of this story is how Mr. Sanchez builds the tension and conflict level as it progresses. Alex, you know what you're doing! It kept me turning the pages to find out how the different situations would be resolved. And it's the end that leads me to think that this will be a trilogy at some point. Since one of the characters doesn't get his due yet, and Alex's stories are always upbeat, I hope he will continue the series to a positive conclusion.Thanks, Alex, for your new contribution to our literature.

Must have Book for Therapists that treat teens.

I read and used Rainbow Boys for the past year in my clinical practice. I just completed Rainbow High this past weekend. It is a very good serial edition, and can stand alone as an independent novel. In my clinical perspective, and as an educational tool, they are excellent because they exemplify very real day, real-time dilemmas that both str8 and gay students experience in their development. I believe they can be used as both bibliotherapy or as a basis for creating a GSA (Gay-Staright-Alliance) because the resolutions to the book's conflicts involves learning from both sets of students, parents, and teachers. This common pragmatic approach is what we need to teach. In other words, there is teen angst; but angst with ultimate hope and adult help. In addition, the portrayal of gay teens is much wider then the stereotypes that are firmly entrenched in ultra-conservative communities. I commend Alex Sanchez for sharing his characters and plot lines with us. From an educational perspective, they are very readable for a wide variety of student abilities. If you are a parent, please take some time and read Rainbow High. Weither your teen is str8 or gay, you will get an insight into the priorities they try to balance and the choices they want to make with or without our guidance.

Don't Pass Go, Buy This Book!

A worthy follow up to Rainbow Boys, Alex Sanchez's new book, Rainbow High, picks up mere weeks after the first story left off, continuing to chronicle the lives of three gay teens in their senior year of high school. The boys, Nelson, Kyle, and Jason, all come from fairly different backgrounds, but share a common thread as they come to terms with the sexual orientation. Nelson, who is (if you'll pardon the pun) a drama queen, awaits results from his HIV test after an unprotected encounter in the previous book. His lifelong best friend, Kyle, has finally nabbed the "boy of his dreams," but faces an uncertain future as college looms. Jason, the jock basketball star, must face the slow realization of his own feelings and the reality of them becoming public. Set in suburban Alexandria, Virginia, Rainbow High invites the reader to become a part of the story, as though the next real phone call could be one of the boys calling for advice. Sanchez's writing style has only continued to blossom and grow with this latest writing effort as he brings to bear his professional experience as a trained counselor and combines it with a strong emotional awareness and thoughtful presentation of his characters and their lives. Though the story is clearly written to be accessible to young readers, it is equally enjoyable for a more mature audience, with a fresh, light perspective so often lacking in gay fiction. Lastly, and a true testament to Sanchez's skill as a writer, this sequel stands equally well on its own as an independent story. Though Rainbow Boys provides the back-story, it is not necessary to read the stories sequentially to enjoy them. Rainbow High is a great read and I highly recommend it. -- Andrew Barriger, author of Finding Faith.