This turned out to be a "most excellent" read. The reader gets to join three teens as they are presenting an assignment describing their "most excellent year:" Anthony (or T.C.) Keller, whose family is addicted to the Boston Red Sox to the degree that almost all the children in the family are named after Bean Town legends; Augie Hwong, who is probably the last person in Boston to realize he is gay even as he wants to be the star of the show, and Alejandra, the daughter of the former ambassador to Mexico who tries to keep her sevret love of theater performance a secret.

The book introduces the tale just as the kids are about to enter their senior year. They have been freinds for years. In fact, Augie and T.C. (and their families) have considered each other brothers since T.C.'s mom died of cancer when he was only six. T.C. has had a major crush on Alé for years. Alé and Augie become close as they work together on the school talent show and, and then later on the school's presentation of Kiss Me Kate.

The strength of this book is on the strong characters and humorous writing. The assignment is presented in the form of diaries with each teen allowed to write to the diary of a person they hold special: T.C. chooses his mother, Augie brings the readers through a series of classic film divas, and Alé writes to Jacqueline Kennedy. Included with the journal entries is newspaper clippings, emails, IM transcripts and letters to and from them and those around them. In the process, the reader is introduced to a number of strong, loving characters.

One of the big complaints I often hear is that young adult/teen literature is so dark and filled with personal traumas. While this book is not absent of such challenges (see mention of T.C. mother and a heartwarming plot relating to a local deaf boy who is befriended by the trio and the families and a wonderful cameo by Julie Andrews), but there is just a cozy feeling of realism that surrounds the teens. In some ways they are really mature in the way they approach life, but they also read a little young. That is just like most of the kids I work with. I thought this would be more for just middle schoolers, but I actually see some pretty broad appeal for it.