Rainbow Party
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- £6.49
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- £6.49
Publisher Description
Rainbow Parties. Are they real? Who's going?
GIN and SANDY
One's been with all the guys, one's terrified of them.
It's Gin's party; she invited everyone.
ALLISON
President of the Celibacy Club. What's she thinkin'?
HUNTER and PERRY
Friends...with benefits.
JADE
Hanging on to it for the right guy.
SKYE and ROD
Totally doing it, totally curious.
VI
Skye's BF who has it for Rod. The party could change everything.
RUSTY and BRICK
One thinks he's a playah. One's built like it. Neither's getting any.
ASH and ROSE
The class couple, not ready yet. So why are they going?
Would you?
Rainbow Party is a cautionary tale about a group of teens faced with the prospect of attending a party involving oral sex. The novel spotlights each of their diverse viewpoints in the hours leading up to the party. It explores what each teen has -- and has not -- been up to sexually, and why. And ultimately, why they would consider going to a party like this in the first place.
This book addresses important and timeless issues relevant to teens, including self-esteem, peer pressure, awareness about STD protection, and making an informed and educated decision about readiness for sexual activity. It was inspired by numerous news reports about the prevalence and attitudes among teens towards certain types of sexual behavior, and is intended to engage readers in this real-life issue in a responsible and constructive fashion.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Promiscuous sophomore Gin is throwing a "Rainbow Party," at which girls "put on a different color lipstick, and the guys all drop their pants." In theory, after the girls perform oral sex on the boys, they would be left with rainbows around their penises. The author takes the perspective of Gin and her invitees in the hours before her after-school party. They all have reasons for going (Sandy hopes to find love, virgin Brick is being pressured by his friend to gain sexual experience, and there are rumors that Perry is gay) and their own anxieties, too. This debut novel takes a steamy premise, and adds in plenty of racy material, too, including oral sex between two boys in a school bathroom, but while the author makes a compelling argument against abstinence-only education and also against limited definitions of sex, readers may tire of the standard-issue characters. They may also start to cringe every time a character talks about oral sex not really being sex. There is some important information to be gleaned here (Gin and Perry have mysterious sore throats, and Hunter notices a "burning sensation" when he urinates; later they learn of a gonorrhea outbreak among the sophomore class), but in the end, the story here is not as compelling as its premise. Ages 14-up.