Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom by Franklin & Halpin

Franklin, E. & Halpin, B. (2012). Tessa Masterson will go to prom. New York, NY: Walker Publishing Company, Inc.     ISBN 978-0-8027-2345-1   Hardcover, $16.99

Cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com

Annotation: When Tessa Masterson comes out as a lesbian and buys herself a tux to bring her girlfriend to her Senior Prom, all hell breaks lose in her small Midwestern town. Her best friend Lucas, who's partially to blame for the controversy, tries to figure out how to heal their relationship and stop the chaos.

Booktalk: Lucas and Tessa have been best friends since Lucas took the training wheels off his first bike. So, when Lucas realizes he has a crush on Tessa, it’s only natural for him to invite her to their Senior Prom. The problem is, he’s seen too many chick flicks with his mom and knows girls like grand gestures. He goes all out and puts the invitation on a big marquee so now everyone in their small town knows.

Stunned that he never realized that she’s gay, Tessa has to say no, she just can’t keep pretending she’s something she’s not. Hurt that she would keep something so huge from him, Lucas lashes out, unaware of the backlash that’s coming. Now everyone in town is picking sides, reporters are everywhere, and Prom might be cancelled. What can Tessa do? How can she be true to herself and still fix things with Lucas? What is Lucas supposed to do? How can he calm the firestorm he started? How can he make up for the pain he’s caused Tessa? Will Brookfield-Mason High School still hold Prom this year? Will Tessa Masterson get to go to Prom?

Awards:

• American Library Association Rainbow Project Selection 

Watch a library student booktalk for Tessa Masterson Will Go To Prom:

Check out an interview with the authors about writing books
collaboratively.

Check out Brendan Halpin's website.

Emily Franklin's website is cool, too.