Dragging Mason County

August 15, 2023
A small-town gay kid tries to survive. Peter's strategy has been to keep his head down until he can leave this Podunk place. The problem is that when pushed, he explodes in verbal assaults that draw far too much attention. When one such outburst--targeting another gay kid in a way that's personally cruel--is caught on camera and posted to social media, people respond with outraged comments. Alan, Peter's much more out-and-proud (not to mention confidently fat) best friend, has a YouTube channel for his drag persona, Aggie Culture. After they meet Lorne, a cute visitor to town, both boys try to impress him, and in the process, they accidentally pledge to hold Mason County's first-ever drag show. Peter finds himself in the role of producing the event. Will the show save his reputation? It might lead to his first kiss, ruin his friendship, and destroy his carefully cultivated safe existence. Peter's narration is fueled by resentment--for his surroundings, his emotionally evasive parents, and his own appearance ("think of me as a middle-aged man-baby"). The verbal swordplay from the drag queens plus the generally cutting remarks from the other high schoolers give the novel an edge; many of the characters' defenses will feel relatable for some readers. The narrative could have been tightened in places, but it offers a worthwhile message of acceptance. Main characters are cued white. Fabulously acerbic. (Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from August 21, 2023
Peter Thompkins, an openly gay high schooler, has gone viral, and not in a good way. His reputation for delivering vicious burns precedes him, but when a heated confrontation with another gay student is posted on social media, public opinion of him plummets (“That guy sucks,” one comment reads). Hoping to restore his honor, Peter turns to his drag performer best friend, YouTuber Alan Goode. Alan convinces Peter to produce a drag show in their rural hometown alongside Alan’s drag alter ego Aggie Culture and featuring House of Rural Realness, a community of local drag queens. Peter soon finds himself performing backup in drag videos, getting chased by alpaca farmers, and facing down homophobic vitriol, all while trying to repair his image, keep his friendship together, and maybe impress a cute newcomer. Peter is at once prickly and lovable, and his wry voice is equally exasperating and sympathetic. In taking a microscope to issues such as allyship, anti-fatness, anxiety, insecurity, and internalized homophobia, debut author Campbell presents an impassioned homage to queer community and culture that proffers clever and laugh-out-loud explorations of self-expression and acceptance. Characters cue as white. Ages 14–up.

October 15, 2023
Grades 9-12 Peter Thompkins cannot wait to leave Mason County, and the feeling only intensifies after a video of him verbally attacking a fellow gay high-schooler goes viral. While Peter feels justified in his actions, many people on social media and around town think he went too far. As he works to repair his damaged reputation by producing Mason County's first ever drag night (starring his good friend Alan, aka Aggie Culture), Peter continues to lose his temper and cements himself as a rage machine, even alienating Alan in the process. As tensions rise on the night of the performance, Peter fights back against bigotry and homophobia as well as his inner demons, but is he too late to salvage his reputation and his friendships? Campbell's debut spotlights self-hatred, small-town life, homophobia, anti-fatness, and allyship. Notably, he utilizes large doses of humor without pulling any punches in order to shine a light on issues many LGBTQ+ teens face today. Fans of Julie Murphy's Pumpkin (2021) will delight in this candid and campy account of teenage angst.

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