The companion to the award-winning Openly Straight, called “remarkable…deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist” (Booklist). Perfect for fans of David Levithan, Andrew Smith, and John Green! Ben Carver is back to normal. He’s working steadily in his classes at the Natick School. He just got elected captain of the baseball team. He’s even won a full scholarship to college, if he can keep up his grades. All that foolishness with Rafe Goldberg the past semester is in the past. Except…There’s Hannah, the gorgeous girl from the neighboring school, who attracts him and distracts him. There’s his mother, whose quiet unhappiness Ben is noticing for the first time. School is harder, the pressure higher, the scholarship almost slipping away. And there’s Rafe, funny, kind, dating someone else . . . and maybe the real normal that Ben needs.
Honestly Ben
Kudos
- ALA’s Rainbow List
- Starred Reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly,School Library Journal
- Earphones Awardfor audio book narrated by Dan Bittner
- Teenreads’ Teen Choice Book Award Nominee
Reviews
“Konigsberg has again done a remarkable job developing characters and inviting readers to consider the meaning of friendship with all its rewards and challenges. Extremely well written, this novel of ideas is deeply satisfying and as honest as its appealing protagonist.” —Booklist, starred review
“Well-rounded characters take readers from serious, thoughtful discussions to typical teen pranks with ease . . . Equal parts serious and funny as it addresses homophobia, hazing rituals, and cheating while also delighting readers with a slice-of-life tale set at a private academy.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Konigsberg again realistically explores what happens when one’s self butts up against . . . the world’s expectations and assumptions . . . The result is a refreshingly honest exploration of modern relationships and an understanding that love can take many shapes and forms.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Honestly Ben is funny, complex, joyful, heartbreaking, and exceedingly wise all at once. A teenager with any question about the right way to live couldn’t ask for a better read.” —Geoff Herbach, author of Anything You Want and Stupid Fast
“It’s hard to write a good sequel, keeping what people loved about the first book, but adding something fresh and new. Not surprisingly, Bill Konigsberg pulls it off wonderfully in Honestly Ben.” —Brent Hartinger, author of Geography Club and Three Truths and a Lie