Somewhat problematic for the squeamish parent or teacher is this book by Ted van Lieshout, translated from the Dutch by Lance Salway. This is an excellent book for early teenagers. Written as a journal, it tells of the gradual deterioration of a young boy (living in the city of Eindhoven with his family), who suffers from a rare condition called Wilson's disease, which leads to his death at the age of 14. His surviving brother, Luke, tells the story through his diary and extracts from the diary of the dead brother, Maus. What Luke learns is that Maus had genuine homosexual feelings and experience, just like himself. The book ends with Luke telling his mother, who has made a bonfire of all her dead son's belongings, that he is gay. If that all sounds heavy, it is handled with typical Dutch openness and good sense by van Lieshout. But, as always with books for young people, choose carefully.