Beast by Brie Spangler

Beast is a YA fiction novel by Brie Spangler. It was a Publishers Weekly Best YA Book of 2016, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016, and a Rainbow Book List selection. Dylan is fifteen years old but looks like a grown man. He is nearly 7 feet tall, over 250 pounds, and extremely hairy. People at his school jokingly call him "Beast," but Dylan doesn't find it funny. After falling from a roof and breaking his leg, Dylan is forced to attend therapy where he meets Jamie. But Jamie has a secret - one Dylan missed when he wasn't listening during group. Jamie is transgender.

Sex: There is a pretty graphic sex scene. Not only that, but Dylan thinks about it a lot and this book is told from his perspective.

Language: Pretty strong.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Dylan disguises himself to buy beer.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Dylan uses his size to threaten people for his best friend. Most of the people in Dylan's therapy group are there because of self-harming. It's also mentioned that a few guys planned to find Jamie so they could cause harm.

Final Note: There are two main sides to this book: Dylan, and his struggle with self-image, and Jamie, who is transgender. Gender identity and sexuality are explored a lot in this novel.

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