HEY, DOLLFACE would be a good novel discussion in a history of the LGBT movement or as part of a discussion of then and now. I wonder if censors made write Deborah Hautzig change the ending or tone down the lesbian angle.

What could have been a brave foray into the story of two girls exploring their sexuality confused me as a teen, and felt like a cop out in 2015. Like Val, when it happened to me, I never thought to tell an adult, but unlike her, I was too ashamed to tell anyone. As a contrast, an adult male hitting on a teenage girl was considered 'normal'. I remember having similar questions, not about a friend, but about my sexuality.

Like narrator Val, I was a sophomore when HEY, DOLLFACE was released. HEY, DOLLFACE should be viewed as a period piece, because the attitudes about homosexuality are so antiquated, otherwise teens today won't be able to relate to the story. Val questions whether the friendship might be something more, in a time when homosexuality was thought to be abnormal. In 1978, sophomores Val and Chloe are new to their private school. Would Chloe think those feelings were wrong? And her biggest question of all: How do you separate loving someone as a friend and the other kind of love - or do they cross over sometimes? With honesty and humor, acclaimed author Deborah Hautzig's 1978 novel is an unforgettable exploration of friendship and love - and all the invisible lines that come with them.Grade: C+ (as historical fiction or a period piece) Feelings that she never expected to have. Because she has some other feelings for Chloe. Val starts to think that maybe she's not 'normal' at all. Unfortunately, not even Val's mother - an adult! - has all the answers. So Val turns to the two people who have always given her the most honest answers possible: her mother and Chloe. Together, they ditch school, visit cemeteries and thrift shops, spend their days trolling the city streets, and have sleepovers during which they confide all their secret thoughts - like whether they believe in God, which guys they're attracted to, and how Val feels after she gets hit on by a man she babysits for. Val and Chloe just don't fit in at their fancy private school in Manhattan.

Hey, Dollface by Deborah Hautzig