Sara Zarr at Big A little a.

From the interview:

I wanted to write a great stepfather because I had one. Step-parents aren't traditionally the most beloved characters in teen fiction, but there are lots of them out there who have basically rescued the families they married into by providing love and support and stability...a real home. Second marriages can be very redeeming. Also, since Deanna's dad in Story of a Girl was so tough on her, and Cameron's dad in Sweethearts is an abuser, it was important to me to give props to the many good fathers and father figures in the world and not be "that writer who hates men." I love men! Yay, men!

Yay, men and yay, Sara Zarr.  I loved Sweethearts (yay, Alan the stepdad!), but I want to re-read it before I write about it.  Then I'll have to follow it up with my thoughts on Poison Apples, which features the more traditional* type of step-parent.

*Traditional to the kid- and YA-lit, I mean.