Peter Paperback – April 30, 2001

The writer did a good job with the main characters- I adored the protagonist Peter, his crush, David and his older brother Vince. Vince is too cool in all the right ways, but as the older brother of Peter, he is also a jerk, that just makes him real. Mom and Dad were two dimensional as were Peter’s frenemies. The muddles and events that drove Peter in the book were well described, along with his angst – he has lots of angst and internal dialogs.The book is extremely well written. There is not a lot of extraneous material, which means that as the reader you can focus on the story and zoom through the book. I wouldn’t call it a page turner in the sense of a whodoneit, but it certainly commands your attention and moves you right along. It’s broken into small chapters, many of which are around five pages – so it’s easy to find a stopping point if you are reading it while doing other things (like traveling).My criticism of the book is that it’s appropriate, 100% appropriate all the time. The ending was appropriate and suitable, but it wasn’t romantic or exciting. Appropriate is good, it’s safe and it’s too vanilla, in my opinion. Your mileage may vary.Triggers: basically none, the book is appropriate for most. Lots of colorful language, for those that care about such things. Several questions by adults to Peter inquiring if he were suicidal – but as readers we can see from his point of view that he never was. He is just confused about certain things. Is unrequited love a trigger? Zero sex, some muted innuendo. The book is safe and appropriate.I recommend it because it is fun.

Although I am a frequent Amazon.com shopper, I actually bought this book from a vendor at the Anchorage PrideFest gay pride festival. I was absolutely riveted by the book and finished it in one day. The book tells the story of Peter Dawson, who is in the early stages of coming out. Peter just wants what most young men his age want, to fit in with his friends and ride his motorcycle. Young and naive, he is quick to dismiss some people prematurely, including his brother Vince, some of whom turn out to be ok. (He is right about others) Peter's life becomes more complicated when he meets David, a gay friend of his straight brother - a unique twist for a book - and has his stereotypes of gays shattered. At the same time he comes to realize that his own assumptions about "who he is supposed to be," while right for many of his friends and his brother, isn't his reality. When Peter finally acknowledges his own destiny, it is David who ultimately comes through for him, but not in the overly sexual, "Cinderella" fashion that many other books take. The story was moving and is not only a must read, but also a must have for any P-FLAG or GLSEN library. Hopefully Kate Walker will keep herself busy writing many more books. It once again proves, as with Patricia Nell Warren, that many of the best books about gay men are written by women. Hit the "Add To Shopping Cart" button for this one - you'll be glad you did!

This was an amazing book! I loved it. Peter is a young man figuring out his sexual orientation. In the book Peter falls for his brothers friend. Peter goes through the teasing and taunting of being gay or Poof.The author shows amazing incite of the emotions and worries that one has when coming to terms with being gay and how it affects the life of his or her own and the lives of others. I rate this book as a five because when I was coming to terms with liking boys at the age of 11 I had many of the same worries and concerns. It shares so much that young men can relate to when figuring out what they like.I recommend this book be in the schools of all nations. It not only helps children know that its okay to be gay but that it also helps open the mind of readers to the unknown. Teaching acceptance.

I actually quite enjoyed this book, though I did personally feel it was too short and would had loved more of the book. I was able to finish this in one day but, I also finished it quickly since I really wanted to know what would happen next and how the story finished. I think the author touched the LGBT extremely well, I like how they stood away from the typical stereotypes and explored Peter's sexuality. Though, what is great - is that the book itself isn't completely focused on that, I personally enjoyed that. It didn't end sad, either, which was a nice touch (it only end with the desire of wanting to know more, what happen when Peter gets older, etc). Overall, I would recommend this, worth the read.

This is a story about a high school boy who is a bit of a loner and who slowly comes to grips with his sexuality. The relationships of this boy to his peers and his parents, especially to his detached father is explored as is the boy's ultimate emotional attachment to a young gay man whos is a friend of his older brother. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the well being of adolescent boys who are struggling with their sexuality and accepting of themselves for whom they are.

This is a coming of age story, but with something more. Peter is just discovering that he may indeed be gay, something that his friends and family wouldn't accept should they find out. When Peter's brother's friend comes into the picture, Peter must face who he really is.I loved the writing style of this book. Easy to read. The only problem was it was too darned short! I wanted much more. It would be wonderful if there were a sequel to this book sometime in the future. I'd like to know how Peter turns out!I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially good in school libraries.

This was a great book. I loved the story, although I wish it hadn't ended so early. If you're gay, or curious this story is highly recomended for you. It's about a boy in Austrailia who loves bikes, and hangs out with a bunch of guys he doesn't even consider to be friends. His brother's best friend is gay, and it gets him thinking about himself in a different light. A very good story, and I love the author's way of going about things in it. It's a good book for anyone, gay, straight, or unsure.

"Wäre die Welt mein"Als ich Peter zum erstenmal las, war ich 14 und für mich war klar:" WOW, so kann es also sein! So ist das gut!"Nochmal 14 Jahre später bin ich immer noch von diesem Buch angetan, da es wirklich wenige Jugendbücher gibt, die das Thema Homosexualität so ohne Kitsch und Vorurteil angehen.Ein tolles Jugendbuch!

This book is amazing. The story is very realistic and it explores the inner self of a fifteen years old boy who discovers that love isn't just meant to be between a boy and a girl. I really really loved it though the language is sometime difficult to understand if you don't speak English (Australian) well. I think that it's a must for all gay teens and whoever is interested in something that will really touch you.

１０代の頃、何に心動かされ、何に戸惑いを感じていたのか。少年の頃のみずみずしさが脳裏に蘇ってくるような作品でした。同性を好きになってしまった自分が信じられないという思い、男らしく振舞わないと仲間はずれにされるという悩み、彼に好かれるにはどうしたらいいんだろうという切望。矛盾した様々な感情が交差する中で、主人公Peterが失敗しながらも成長していく姿が胸を打ちます。こうした思いと向き合って生きていくPeterは、将来きっといい男になるだろうなと思わせるような爽やかな印象を受けました。蛇足ですが、私は少年期をニュージーランドで過ごしたので、この本全体に流れる雰囲気がとても懐かしかったです。オーストラリア、ニュージーランドで幼少期を過ごされた方は倍楽しめるのではないかと思います。

彼らの気持ちが深く深く私の心に伝わってきた。Peterは自分がだんだんGay友達であるDavidに惹かれていく。そうなることにつれて、周囲の反応、対応、見方などが変わっていく。彼ら(gay)の気持ち（決して人に簡単には言えない心の中）、彼らに対する偏見などがよくかかれていた。