An avid soccer player, seventh grader Will, recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, is disappointed that he can’t play until his flare-up is under control. Eager to show that his new treatment has mitigated his gastrointestinal symptoms and fatigue so he can get back on the field, Will (white) hides the fact that he isn’t improving from his parents and doctor. Will is also upset by his teammate Luca’s homophobic taunting of classmate Griffin. Will likes Griffin, who is openly gay, and starts hanging out with him, but he worries that Luca and his own best friend, Henry, will make assumptions about Will’s own sexuality if they find out. When his Crohn’s diagnosis becomes public at school and church, Will hates the cloying attention. He starts to feel a lot of anger and anxiety about his condition, while his concern about being connected publicly to Griffin leads to less-than-stellar behavior as a friend. An awkward conversation in his Baptist church’s youth group about his church’s stance on being gay leads to a reassuring discussion with his pastor, who tells Will that he hopes their church would welcome a gay couple and treat them with respect, although he acknowledges that not everyone feels the same. This honest, sensitive account of a young person learning to live with a chronic illness—a reality that is a learning curve for his family members as well—also offers a welcome, nuanced look at his emerging consideration of his own sexuality. (Ages 9-13)