Age: 10th-12th grade

This novel opens to Jordan (first-person narrative) listening to the sounds of sex in the alley outside where he's sleeping. At first annoyed, he realizes that the woman is being raped and scares the guys off. This 17-year-old girl pops through Jordan's window, seemingly undeterred by the previous event, and falls asleep draped over Jordan. The reader soon finds out that both teens are runaways, living in an abandoned room. Both escaping something from their past, they strive to live together. We begin to understand Chloe. She appears to be simple-minded and flighty but glimpses into her past reveal her ability to block out negative events as they happen to her. She slightly mentions to Jordan that she was raped often living in her previous state home but she mentions nothing more because she cares for Jordan. After Jordan accidentally kills a man in defense of Chloe, Jordan decides to show Chloe the beautiful things in the world by traveling across the U.S. At the beginning of their journey the reader discovers that Jordan was beaten up almost to death when his father discovered Jordan was gay. Along the way they each discover how beautiful the world can be, yet they also discover its treachery.

It's not necessarily the content matter that classifies my suggested age group, but the unique writing style. It starts out rather slow and Chloe is not described with much precision--a conscious act on the author. Although Jordan's character is not as detailed as Chloe's, we do understand that his homosexuality--which has been punished by the people closest to him--causes confusion and inner hatred. His positive experiences with caring people affect him as much as they affect Chloe.