Happy Monday, YA Fans! Let’s talk queer reads.
“What’s Up in YA?” is sponsored by City of Bastards from Disney Publishing Worldwide.
“Jon Snow won’t be the only ‘bastard’ whose name readers will remember.” —Entertainment Weekly
In this action-packed sequel to YA fantasy Royal Bastards, Tilla explores the magnificent royal city of Lightspire where she uncovers a sinister conspiracy to take down the kingdom from within. Nothing is as it seems in the glorious capital, and Tilla’s presence might just be the spark that sets the Kingdom aflame.
June is Pride Month, an annual global celebration of the LGBTGIA+ community and their contributions to culture, art, history, and more. To honor Pride month and to highlight the growth of queer YA lit, let’s take a look at some of the amazing LGBTQIA+ YA book lists and resources available to readers. Grab your TBR and ready your bookmarking fingers!
LGBTQIA+ YA Reading Lists
There’s literally something for every kind of reader itching for a good queer book or ten.
- 10 must-read bisexual YA books from 2018.
- Queer girls of color in YA lit, as written by women of color.
- 10 books to read if you can’t get enough “Love, Simon.”
- The burning and banning of Annie On My Mind.
- Where to start with bi and lesbian YA lit.
- A newbie’s guide to great coming out YA books.
- 13 YA books about bisexual boys.
- Asexual YA books to buy, borrow, or bypass.
- 100 must-read inclusive science fiction and fantasy YA reads.
- Queer superheroes in YA books.
- LGBTQA science fiction and fantasy by #OwnVoices writers.
- Amazing Pride book displays from around the world.
- 100 must-read LGBTQIA+ YA books.
LGBTQIA+ YA Resources
Looking for more book lists, news, and information about queer YA lit? Dig into these excellent websites.
- QueerYA: book lists and resources on diversity in gender and sexuality in youth culture. Based on Scotland, this has a lot of UK-angled content.
- Gay YA: A long-running blog highlighting queer YA. This blog was started by two teenagers who are still active in the YA world and passionate about representation.
- LGBTQ Reads: Although this isn’t strictly YA, this resource is one to know because it features a plethora of YA, as well as books across various categories, genres, and formats.
- Queer Books for Teens: A resource to all of (!!) the queer YA books out there.
- The Rainbow List: Great queer reads, picture books through YA titles, as selected by librarians. This is a vetted list with a wide variety of titles. If you’re looking for even more award-winning queer titles for YA readers, check out the Stonewall Awards.
LGBTQIA+ YA Nonfiction Titles
Just to round this newsletter out nicely, here are a few YA nonfiction titles perfect for Pride month. Descriptions are from Amazon, since I’ve read only most, but not all, of these (yet, anyway!).
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
One teenager in a skirt.
One teenager with a lighter.
One moment that changes both of their lives forever.
If it weren’t for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment.
The ABCs of LGBTQ+ by Ashley Mardell
The ABCs of LGBT+ is a #1 Bestselling LGBT book and is essential reading for questioning teens, teachers or parents looking for advice, or anyone who wants to learn how to talk about gender identity and sexual identity. In The ABCs of LGBT+, Ashley Mardell, a beloved blogger and YouTube star, answers many of your questions about:
- lgbt and lgbt+
- gender identity
- sexual identity
- teens in a binary world
- the LGBT family
- and more
Being Jazz: My Life As A (Transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings
Jazz Jennings is one of the youngest and most prominent voices in the national discussion about gender identity. At the age of five, Jazz transitioned to life as a girl, with the support of her parents. A year later, her parents allowed her to share her incredible journey in her first Barbara Walters interview, aired at a time when the public was much less knowledgeable or accepting of the transgender community. This groundbreaking interview was followed over the years by other high-profile interviews, a documentary, the launch of her YouTube channel, a picture book, and her own reality TV series—I Am Jazz—making her one of the most recognizable activists for transgender teens, children, and adults.
In her remarkable memoir, Jazz reflects on these very public experiences and how they have helped shape the mainstream attitude toward the transgender community. But it hasn’t all been easy. Jazz has faced many challenges, bullying, discrimination, and rejection, yet she perseveres as she educates others about her life as a transgender teen. Through it all, her family has been beside her on this journey, standing together against those who don’t understand the true meaning of tolerance and unconditional love. Now Jazz must learn to navigate the physical, social, and emotional upheavals of adolescence—particularly high school—complicated by the unique challenges of being a transgender teen. Making the journey from girl to woman is never easy—especially when you began your life in a boy’s body.
Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing The World by Jack Andraka
For the first time, teen innovator and scientist Jack Andraka tells the story behind his revolutionary discovery. When a dear family friend passed away from pancreatic cancer, Jack was inspired to create a better method of early detection. At the age of fifteen, he garnered international attention for his breakthrough: a four-cent strip of paper capable of detecting pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers four hundred times more effectively than the previous standard.
Jack’s story is not just a story of dizzying international success; it is a story of overcoming depression and homophobic bullying and finding the resilience to persevere and come out. His account inspires young people, who he argues are the most innovative, to fight for the right to be taken seriously and to pursue our own dreams. Do-it-yourself science experiments are included in each chapter, making Breakthrough perfect for STEM curriculum. But above all, Jack’s memoir empowers his generation with the knowledge that we can each change the world if we only have the courage to try.
Pride: Celebrating Diversity and Community by Robin Stevenson
For LGBTQ people and their supporters, Pride events are an opportunity to honor the past, protest injustice, and celebrate a diverse and vibrant community. The high point of Pride, the Pride Parade, is spectacular and colorful. But there is a whole lot more to Pride than rainbow flags and amazing outfits. How did Pride come to be? And what does Pride mean to the people who celebrate it?
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Thanks for hanging out this week and we’ll see you again soon!