Magic and Misery Author:Peter Marino Presenting a raw, bitingly humorous portrait of high school life, this novel shows how magic and misery weave through one special friendship. — Seventeen-year-old Toni Jo adores her gay best friend, Pan. He is a golden boy -- gorgeous, witty, and sophisticated, so different from the redneck troglodyte teenage boys in her blue-collar town. Pan and... more » Toni Jo are inseparable until Caspar, the thoughtful football player in their English class, enters the picture. Toni Jo has longed for a real boyfriend, but she's used to thinking of herself as a hopeless case, the girl who never gets what she wants. Naturally, she's surprised and thrilled when Caspar asks her out. But as their romance unfolds, it jeopardizes her friendship with Pan, which becomes strained and unpredictable. Toni Jo has to wonder if it's she or Pan who has changed. Tension between them escalates as the bullying of Pan leads to violence and Toni Jo is unable to help.« less