December 6, 2021
Jordan catches 16-year-old Dylan’s attention when he walks into the Philadelphia-suburb Dairy Queen where Dylan works. Jordan’s hot, as in good looking, but he’s also literally warm, running a steady temperature of 110 °F. Dylan, who doesn’t have a lot going on aside from painting by number with cheerleader best friends Kirsten and Perry, finds himself intrigued and crushing. Recently orphaned Jordan seems nice, but he keeps disappearing on Dylan for unclear reasons, heats up so much when stressed that he catches fire, and is followed by mysterious people. As the two high school juniors grow closer, Dylan tries to figure out what’s occurring; meanwhile, a rash of fires leads aspiring journalist Kirsten to look into their origins. Zepka’s debut combines a superhero-like origin story with a rom-com and throws in a mystery, as the cued-white love interests try to sort out what’s going on at the fuel
company where Jordan’s parents once worked. The weakest link is the teens’ investigation, which resolves a bit easily given the stakes, but as an average guy coping with things science can’t explain—love included—Dylan is an appealing character. Ages 12–up. Agent: Liz Parker, Verve Talent and Literary.
November 15, 2021
A lonely gay teen with a burning desire for love meets a mysterious new boy with explosive powers who is on the run from an evil corporation. As the only openly gay boy in his grade, high school junior Dylan Highmark has few prospects for romance, even with the help of Perry and Kirsten, two cheerleaders who are his best friends. Although his parents enthusiastically (and annually) celebrate his coming out, Dylan has no LGBTQ+ peer community support, something further emphasized by his school's Gay Straight Alliance, where he is the first gay member in years and most participants describe themselves as allies. Dylan is desperate to escape his Philadelphia suburb until Jordan Ator arrives and lights up his world, literally. Jordan moved from Arizona to escape HydroPro, the hydrogen fuel corporation responsible for his parents' deaths and his own mutant fire powers following a car crash. Unfortunately, Jordan can't control his combustibility, and HydroPro has no intention of letting him get away. Several times throughout this novel, characters express that their circumstances make no sense, a refrain that unfortunately captures both the unfolding plot and the foundation for the hydrogen-based superpowers. HydroPro knows Jordan's location due to the string of publicized arsons connected to his powers, making their struggle to apprehend him unbelievable. There are many instances of casual fatphobia alongside the valorization of muscled bodies. Main characters read as White. An interesting premise that fails to spark. (Science fiction. 14-18)
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