Beast

By Brie Spangler and Charles Eric Maine

Book Overview

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Rainbow Book List selection
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection

A witty, wise, and heart-wrenching reimagining of Beauty and the Beast that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan.

Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn't look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken leg--and a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers.

Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapy--until he meets Jamie. She's funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She's also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and superficiality.

As Jamie's humanity and wisdom begin to rub off on Dylan, they become more than just friends. But there is something Dylan doesn't know about Jamie, something she shared with the group the day he wasn't listening. Something that shouldn't change a thing. She is who she's always been--an amazing photographer and devoted friend, who also happens to be transgender. But will Dylan see it that way?

Praise for Beast:
Writing smartly in Dylan's voice, Spangler artfully represents both main characters: the boy who feels like a freak and the witty, imperfect, wise trans girl he loves. Very lightly borrowing on the classic fairy tale, she allows them to fail and succeed without resorting to paper villains or violent plot points to manipulate compassion. A believable and beautiful human story." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred review

Spangler's captivating portrayals of Dylan and Jamie offer piercing insight into the long, painful battle to shatter stereotypes in order to win dignity, love, and acceptance." --Publishers Weekly, Starred review

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1101937165
• ISBN13: 9781101937167
• Release Date: October 2016
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.7" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 13 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 12

Customer Reviews

Beast is a mess

The only good thing about the book is that Dylan, the 15 year old MC, was written like a true 15 year old boy, so I ended up hating him. The main character was transphobic. And yet Jamie, a trans woman, decided to continue to fall in love with him. She deserves so much better than him. She deserves someone who isn't so blatantly transphobic as Dylan was when he first found out. She deserves someone who doesn't push her away several times. Obviously, I can't speak for trans women, but this seemed so unbelievable, I was screaming at this book the entire time