#48: Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
Cycler is one of those YA books that people start talking about way before it even comes out, and with very good reason, as Lauren McLaughlin’s comedy of gender has one of the most original premises I’ve seen in quite a while, as her female heroine’s monthly visitor is sentient; every month, Jill changes into a boy, Jack, who has a separate personality and separate interests than his alter-ego; naturally, hijinks ensue, and though the dark undercurrents of the book give it a subtle gravitas, McLaughlin deftly handles complex issues—gender and sexuality and selfhood FOR STARTERS—with a great deal of humor.
