Donorboy : a novel

Donorboy : a novel 
by Brendan Halpin 
Language: English 
New York : Villard, ©2004. 
209 p. ; 21 cm.
ISBN: 1400062772; 9781400062775

Reading level: Adult/Young Adult

Protagonist: girl, 14

Summary: Rosalind had two mommies. Now, thanks to a tragic accident involving foodstuffs, she has none. And Sean, the sperm donor responsible for half her DNA (and nothing else), is taking custody. Rosalind finds herself adjusting to a new life that seems both hateful and surreal-she's an orphan with a new father, surrounded by friends she is beginning to despise and well-meaning adults who succeed only in annoying her. Sean made a donation fifteen years ago, and his life since has not gone according to plan. Thirty-five, single, and still grieving the loss of his own mother twenty-seven years ago, he decides to take on the overwhelming task of caring for an unhappy teenager he doesn't know. Told entirely through e-mail, instant messaging, journal entries, and other random communications, Donorboy is the comic, compellingly readable novel of how these two people learn to converse, cook, write heavy-metal songs, and nail windows shut on their way to becoming a family. Brendan Halpin has written a universal story of how we laugh, cry, and occasionally punch our way to a new life in the face of tragedy.

Reviews: School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Kirkus Review
Awards: Alex Award 2005

http://www.brendanhalpin.com/