A Parisian author-artist team follows Adrian as he makes his first attempts to claim who he is and whom he loves, in this emotionally resonant graphic novel.
Marie Caillou's (Fear of the Dark) flat colors in a palette of salmon, cornflower blue and beige telegraph the claustrophobic French town in which Adrian lives. As Hubert (Miss Don't Touch Me) chronicles a "beautiful" boy trapped by his strict mother and Catholic school, readers sense his limited options. When Jeremy, a strong athlete, knocks down Adrian in gym, Adrian lets him (verbally) have it, and the two discover they have similar views--and a mutual attraction blossoms. A daydream in English class, in which Adrian imagines himself cheek to cheek with Jeremy, foreshadows their later encounter, when Jeremy offers him a ride on his scooter. Jeremy attempts to bring Adrian into his popular crowd, and Caillou ramps up the dark tones inside the bar, with Laura, Jeremy's "cool" girlfriend, matching the seductive backdrop. Jeremy's friends soon depart, leaving Adrian and Jeremy to bond on their scooter ride.
The next day, Jeremy takes Adrian to the title's "tree of secrets." They bare their souls and kiss, and Jeremy is the first to express affection--but also the first to abandon the relationship when it's discovered. Author and artist expertly balance naïveté and worldliness, allowing readers to empathize with both Jeremy and Adrian. The ambiguous ending could begin a conversation about society's and religion's rules and how challenging it can be as individuals to carve one's own path. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness