Flyboy by Kasey LeBlanc (review)

Reviewed by: Flyboy by Kasey LeBlanc Natalie Berglind LeBlanc, Kasey Flyboy. Balzer + Bray, 2024 368p Trade ed. ISBN 9780063284357 19. 99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063284340 9. 99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 8-12 After an incident at Asher's old high school, his mom finally gives in to the conservative grandparents on his late father's side and transfers Asher to a Catholic school. Asher isn't out yet as trans, and his new school turns out to be particularly volatile for queer kids. Luckily, Asher has an escape—every night, he dreams of the Midnight Circus, a reality where night after night he is seen for the boy he is. Asher is assigned to train as a clown, but he yearns to gracefully fly like the handsome Apollo in the trapeze act. A tip from a shady figure convinces Asher to sneakily change the ringleader's magic notebook to change his assignment, and he meddles in the notebook again after he discovers old performers have to leave to make room for newcomers. But when Apollo shows up at Asher's school in real life, Asher realizes that the characters in the circus may be real people, and his changes in the notebook are wreaking havoc on their collective safe getaway from reality. LeBlanc crafts an immersive, magical world where people facing hardship can find solace, and the unveiling of the interesting lore around its creation is well-foreshadowed. The issues Asher faces at school, including the student body rallying against a trans girl's rights to use the girl's restroom, are unfortunately still timely for trans teens, and the Midnight Circus is as much of a break from reality for Asher as it for a reader all too aware of ongoing anti-trans efforts. Parallels between the breakdown of Asher's life inside and outside reality are expertly done, and the budding friendship and romance with Apollo is sweet without being saccharine. Asher continues to find support in unexpected places as he learns to burn the bridges he needs to burn and embrace the love in his life to live authentically. Copyright © 2024 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois