Over the Rainbow:
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and
Questioning/Queer Fiction & Non-fiction
Fiction:
YA FIC ADA Adams, S.J. Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue
(Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie
Do you feel lost? Confused? Alone? (Circle one): Yes or No.
The Church of Blue can help. We are not a cult.
$5 for a holy quest is a good deal.
Since sixth grade, Debbie Woodlawn has nursed a secret, heart-searing crush on her best friend,
Lisa. But all those years of pretending to enjoy Full House reruns and abstinence rallies with Lisa
go down the drain when her friend hooks up with Norman, the most boring guy at school. This
earth-shattering event makes Debbie decide to do the unthinkable: confess her love to Lisa. And
she has to do it tonight—before Lisa and Norman go past “the point of no return.” So Debbie
embarks on a quest to find Lisa. Guiding the quest are fellow students/detention hall crashers
Emma and Tim, the founding (and only) members of the wacky Church of Blue. Three chases,
three declarations of love, two heartbreaks, a break-in, and five dollars worth of gas later, Debbie
has been fully initiated into Bluedaism—but is there time left to stop Lisa and Norman from going
too far?
YA FIC APP
Appelt, Kathi
from the Stardust Dance
Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories
Graduating eighth graders relate their stories of love and heartbreak that have brought them to
Dogwood Junior High's magical Stardust Dance.
YA FIC BAN
Bantle, Lee
David Inside Out
David Dahlgren, a high-school senior, finds solace in running with the track team; he’s a fast
runner, and he enjoys the camaraderie. But team events become a source of tension when he
develops a crush on one of his teammates, Sean. Scared to admit his feelings, David does
everything he can to suppress them: he dates a girl, keeps his distance from his best friend who
has become openly gay, and snaps a rubber band on his wrist every time he has “inappropriate”
urges. Before long, Sean expresses the thoughts David has been trying to hide, and everything
changes for the better. Or so it seems.
YA FIC BEA
Beam, Cris
I Am J
J always felt different. He was certain that eventually everyone would understand who he really
was: a boy mistakenly born as a girl. Yet as he grew up, his body began to betray him; eventually
J stopped praying to wake up a "real boy" and started covering up his body, keeping himself
invisible - from his family, from his friends...from the world. But after being deserted by the best
friend he thought would always be by his side, J decides that he's done hiding - it's time to be
who he really is. And this time he is determined not to give up, no matter the cost.
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YA FIC BIC
Bick, Ilsa
The Sin-Eater’s Confession
People in Merit, Wisconsin, always said Jimmy was . . . you know. But people said all sorts of
stupid stuff. Nobody really knew anything. Nobody really knew Jimmy. I guess you could say I
knew Jimmy as well as anyone (which was not very well). I knew what scared him. And I knew he
had dreams—even if I didn't understand them. Even if he nearly ruined my life to pursue them.
Jimmy's dead now, and I definitely know that better than anyone. I know about blood and bone
and how bodies decompose. I know about shadows and stones and hatchets. I know what a last
cry for help sounds like. I know what blood looks like on my own hands. What I don't know is if I
can trust my own eyes. I don't know who threw the stone. Who swung the hatchet? Who are the
shadows? What do the living owe the dead?
YA FIC BIG Bigelow, Lisa Jenn Starting From Here
Sixteen-year-old Colby Bingham’s heart has been broken too many times. Her mother has been
dead for almost two years, her truck driver father is always away, her almost girlfriend just
dumped her for a guy, and now she’s failing chemistry. When a stray dog lands literally at her
feet, bleeding and broken on a busy road, it seems like the Universe has it in for Colby. But the
incident also knocks a chink in the walls she’s built around her heart. Against her better judgment,
she decides to care for the dog. But new connections mean new opportunities for heartbreak.
Terrified of another loss, Colby bolts at the first sign of trouble, managing to alienate her best
friend, her father, the cute girl pursing her, and even her dog’s vet, who’s taken Colby under her
wing. Colby can’t start over, but can she learn how to move on?
YA FIC BOO
Boock, Paula
Dare, Truth or Promise
Luisa "Louie" Angelo is rarely at a loss for words. Actress, extrovert, comedienne, she is well
suited for the legal career she is planning. When she meets strong-minded Willa, her worldview
and sense of self are forever altered with the realization that she is in love with her. Moving from
disbelief to the awareness that the love she feels for Willa is "absolutely natural," Louie must cope
with her mother's chilly suspicion, societal disapproval, and religious condemnation. When caught
by her mother in a compromising situation with Willa, Louie is torn between the truth in her heart
and the institutions that have guided her all her life. Willa, though secure with her identity, is
recovering from a disastrous relationship with another girl whose fundamentalist family accused
her of being a corrupting influence. Fearing a repeat with Louie, Willa is determined to suppress
her own vulnerability.
YA FIC BOY
Boyd, Maria
Will
THE CRIME It all started when Will mooned the girls' school bus. It wasn't his finest moment. And
it's the last time William Armstrong will sully the St. Andrew's community, says Principal
Waddlehead-er, Waverton.
THE PUNISHMENT That's when a teacher worried about Will's home situation comes up with an
idea. Why not let Will, a talented guitarist, give back to the school in a progressive manner? Why
not have him play in . . . THE SCHOOL MUSICAL?
THE MUSICAL Now Will is stuck in the school production of The Boy Friend. He's a
laughingstock, and he has to give up his weekends for a show set at a girls' finishing school.
THE PLAYERS There's the trombone-playing seventh grader who proclaims himself Will's best
friend and refuses to leave his side. Then there's the undeniably attractive leading lady. Although
she might be in love with her costar, the new football hero (and dazzling singer!).
Sharp-witted, funny, and poignant all at once, this is the story of a boy going through a difficult
time who, in a most unlikely way, discovers the person he truly wants to be.
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YA FIC CAM
Cameron, Peter Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
James Sveck does not like the idea of starting at Brown in the fall, and he especially does not like
the idea of interacting with people his own age. While he works for his mother at her art gallery
the summer between his senior year of high school and first year of college, he looks at old
houses for sale in the Midwest in hopes of abandoning the whole college idea his parents are so
set upon. James yearns for a simple life where he can just skip over the painful social agony of
dealing with (even just talking to) people he does not want to deal with (which is almost
everyone).
YA FIC CHA
Chambers, Aidan
Postcards from No Man's Land
Jacob’s visit to the seductive city of Amsterdam reveals family secrets and new ideas about
sexuality and death, as he learns of a passionate love story from his family’s past and perhaps
begins to create one of his own.
YA FIC CLA
Clark, Kristin Elizabeth
Freakboy
From the outside, Brendan Chase seems to have it pretty easy. He’s a star wrestler, a video
game aficionado, and a loving boyfriend to his seemingly perfect match, Vanessa. But on the
inside, Brendan struggles to understand why his body feels so wrong—why he sometimes
fantasizes having long hair, soft skin, and gentle curves. Is there even a name for guys like him?
Guys who sometimes want to be girls? Or is Brendan just a freak?
YA FIC COH
List
Cohn, Rachel & David Levithan
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss
NAOMI AND ELY ARE BEST FRIENDS. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves
Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of
them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's
no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce even though he is boring. The result: a rift
of universal proportions and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these best
friends come back together again?
YA FIC COO
Cook, Trish & Brendan Halpin
Notes From the Blender
Declan loves death metal--particularly from Finland. And video games--violent ones. And
internet porn--any kind, really. He goes to school with Neilly Foster and spends most of his
classroom time wondering what it might be like to know her, to talk to her, maybe even to graze
against her sweater in the hallway. Neilly is an accomplished gymnast, naturally beautiful, and a
constant presence at all the best parties (to which Declan is never invited). She's the queen of
cool, the princess of poker face, and her rule is uncontested-- or it was until today, when she's
dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her former BFF Lulu, and then informed she's getting a
new brother--of the freaky fellow classmate variety. Declan's dad is marrying Neilly's mom.
Soon. Which means they'll be moving in together.
YA FIC CRO
Cronn-Mills, Kirstin
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children
As if high school is not hard enough for a loner and die-hard music geek, Gabe is a guy trapped
in the body of a girl. In the spring of senior year, he has come out as a transsexual to his family
and Paige, his only friend at school, where he is known as Elizabeth, or "that lesbo chick." After
telling his neighbor John —a radio DJ and mentor in the radio business—Gabe plans to lie low
until graduation, when he can move to the Twin Cities to begin life as a man. But his parents still
call him "Elizabeth," his brother ignores him, and he blurts out his name as Gabe on his first latenight community radio show. When "Beautiful Music for Ugly Children" attracts a following at
Elizabeth's school, Gabe is forced to decide whether to be Gabe to everyone or keep his true self
hidden.
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YA FIC DAN Danforth, Emily Miseducation of Cameron Post
When Cameron Post's parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief.
Relief they'll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn't
last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but
hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be
different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and
Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving
Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected
and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as
that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to "fix" her
niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she's not quite
sure who that is.
YA FIC DIJ
Dijk, Lutz Van
Damned Strong Love
Novel based on the true story of love between a Polish teenager and a young German soldier
during World War II.
YA FIC EAG
Eagland, Jane
Wildthorn
They strip her naked, of everything. Undo her whalebone corset, hook by hook. Locked away in
Wildthorn Hall—a madhouse—they take her identity. She is now called Lucy Childs. She has no
one; she has nothing. But, she is still seventeen—still Louisa Cosgrove, isn't she? Who has done
this unthinkable deed? Louisa must free herself, in more ways than one, and muster up the
courage to be her true self, all the while solving her own twisted mystery and falling into an
unconventional love . . .
YA FIC FAR
Farizan, Sara
If You Could Be Mine
Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six.
They’ve shared stolen kisses and romantic promises. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls
in love—Sahar and Nasrin could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed if their relationship came
to light. So they carry on in secret—until Nasrin’s parents announce that they’ve arranged for
her marriage. Nasrin tries to persuade Sahar that they can go on as they have been, only now
with new comforts provided by the decent, well-to-do doctor Nasrin will marry. But Sahar dreams
of loving Nasrin exclusively—and openly. Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect
solution. In Iran, homosexuality may be a crime, but to be a man trapped in a woman’s body is
seen as nature’s mistake, and sex reassignment is legal and accessible. As a man, Sahar could
be the one to marry Nasrin. Sahar will never be able to love the one she wants, in the body she
wants to be loved in, without risking her life. Is saving her love worth sacrificing her true self?
YA FIC FOR
Ford, Michael Thomas
Suicide Notes
I'm not crazy. I don't see what the big deal is about what happened. But apparently someone
does think it's a big deal because here I am. I bet it was my mother. She always overreacts.
Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year's Day to find himself in the hospital. Make that the
psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Clearly, this is all a huge mistake. Forget about the bandages
on his wrists and the notes on his chart. Forget about his problems with his best friend, Allie, and
her boyfriend, Burke. Jeff's perfectly fine, perfectly normal, not like the other kids in the hospital
with him. Now they've got problems. But a funny thing happens as his forty-five-day sentence
drags on—the crazies start to seem less crazy.
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YA FIC FRA
To Prom
Franklin, Emily & Brendan Halpin
Tessa Masterson Will Go
Lucas and Tessa’s friendship is the stuff of legend in their small Midwestern town. So it’s no
surprise when Lucas finally realizes his feelings for Tessa are more than friendship and he asks
her to prom. What no one expected, especially Lucas, was for Tessa to come out as a lesbian
instead of accepting his heartfelt invitation. Humiliated and confused, Lucas also feels betrayed
that his best friend kept such an important secret from him. What’s worse is Tessa’s decision to
wear a tastefully tailored tuxedo to escort her female crush, sparking a firestorm of controversy.
Lucas must decide if he should stand on the sidelines or if he should stand by his friend to make
sure that Tessa Masterson will go to prom.
YA FIC FRO
Frost, Helen
Keesha’s House
Keesha has found a safe place to live, and other kids gravitate to her house when they just can’t
make it on their own. They are Stephie – pregnant, trying to make the right decisions for herself
and those she cares about; Jason – Stephie’s boyfriend, torn between his responsibility to
Stephie and the baby and the promise of a college basketball career; Dontay – in foster care
while his parents are in prison, feeling unwanted both inside and outside the system; Carmen –
arrested on a DUI charge, waiting in a juvenile detention center for a judge to hear her case;
Harris – disowned by his father after disclosing that he’s gay, living in his car, and taking care of
himself; Katie – angry at her mother’s loyalty to an abusive stepfather, losing herself in long hours
of work and school. Stretching the boundaries of traditional poetic forms – sestinas and sonnets –
Helen Frost’s extraordinary debut novel for young adults weaves together the stories of these
seven teenagers as they courageously struggle to hold their lives together and overcome their
difficulties.
YA FIC GAR
Garsee, Jeannine
Say the Word
The world expects perfection from seventeen-year-old Shawna Gallagher, and for the most part,
that’s what they get. She dates the right boys, gets good grades, and follows her father’s every
rule. But when her estranged lesbian mother dies, it’s more than perfect Shawna can take.
Suddenly, anger from being abandoned ten years ago is resurfacing along with Shawna’s
embarrassment over her mother’s other family. As she confronts family secrets and questions
from the past, Shawna realizes there’s a difference between doing the perfect thing and doing the
right thing.
YA FIC GAR
Garden, Nancy
Annie on My Mind
Lisa and Annie meet at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, fall in love, and then find that a
public declaration is too threatening to their friends and relatives.
YA FIC GOI
Going, K.L.
King of the Screwups
Liam Geller is Mr. Popularity. Everybody loves him. He excels at sports; he knows exactly what
clothes to wear; he always ends up with the most beautiful girls in school. But he's got an
uncanny ability to screw up in the very ways that tick off his father the most. When Liam finally
kicked out of the house, his father's brother takes him in. What could a teenage chick magnet
possibly have in common with his gay, glam rocker, DJ uncle who lives in a trailer in upstate New
York? A lot more than you'd think. And when Liam attempts to make himself over as a nerd in a
desperate attempt to impress his father, it's his "aunt" Pete and the guys in his band who
convince Liam there's much more to him than his father will ever see.
.
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YA FIC GOO Goode, Laura
Sister Mischief
Listen up: You’re about to get rocked by the fiercest, baddest all-girl hip-hop crew in the Twin
Cities - or at least in the wealthy, white, Bible-thumping suburb of Holyhill, Minnesota. Our
heroine, Esme Rockett (aka MC Ferocious) is a Jewish lesbian lyricist. In her crew, Esme’s got
her BFFs Marcy (aka DJ SheStorm, the butchest straight girl in town) and Tess (aka The
ConTessa, the pretty, popular powerhouse of a vocalist). But Esme’s feelings for her co-MC,
Rowie (MC Rohini), a beautiful, brilliant, beguiling desi chick, are bound to get complicated. And
before they know it, the queer hip-hop revolution Esme and her girls have exploded in Holyhill is
on the line. Exciting new talent Laura Goode lays down a snappy, provocative, and heartfelt novel
about discovering the rhythm of your own truth.
YA FIC GRE
Grayson
Green, John & David Levithan
Will Grayson, Will
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are
about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives
going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic
production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
YA FIC HAR
Harris, Michael
Homo
Will's never been obvious about being gay. Not like Daniel, who takes the heat—and the
beatings—at Spencer High. But then Will's best friend outs him on Facebook, and his small-town
life starts to spin out of control. If he's not like everyone else, and he's not like Daniel, then who is
he?
YA RIC HAR
Hartinger, Brent
Geography Club
Russel goes to school in a small town. Russel is gay. While surfing the Internet, he enters a gay
chatroom for his hometown and meets a boy from school. One thing leads to another, and they
meet in person. The boy turns out to be Kevin Land, star athlete. Russel tells his friend Min. She
laughs and reveals that she is bisexual and has been in a lesbian relationship for some time.
They form a gay-lesbian-bisexual support group in school with some other students. Knowing that
calling it a gay club would be risky, they pick the most boring name they can find-the Geography
Club.
YA MYS HER
Herren, Greg
Sleeping Angel
Eric Matthews survives a near-fatal accident only to find his whole life has changed. Eric
Matthews wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how he wound up there—and soon learns
that it’s vital that he remember. Apparently, he was in a car accident, and the body of classmate
Sean Brody was found in his car, shot to death. But nothing makes sense to Eric. He and Sean
weren’t friends. In fact, they disliked each other--Sean was gay and Eric is...well, he's not sure of
much right now! Except he is certain he didn’t shoot Sean, even though he can’t remember
anything about the day of the accident. To make matters worse, he starts having psychic flashes
about the people around him: his doctor, a nurse, his mother, and other visitors. As Eric’s
memories slowly start to come back to him, he becomes more and more certain that not only is
he innocent, but that the real murderer is out there…and wants to shut him up permanently.
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YA FIC HOP Hopkins, Ellen
Tilt
Three teens, three stories—all interconnected through their parents’ family relationships. As the
adults pull away, caught up in their own dilemmas, the lives of the teens begin to tilt….
Mikayla, almost eighteen, is over-the-top in love with Dylan, who loves her back jealously. But
what happens to that love when Mikayla gets pregnant the summer before their senior year—and
decides to keep the baby?
Shane turns sixteen that same summer and falls hard in love with his first boyfriend, Alex, who
happens to be HIV positive. Shane has lived for four years with his little sister’s impending death.
Can he accept Alex’s love, knowing that his life, too, will be shortened?
Harley is fourteen—a good girl searching for new experiences, especially love from an older boy.
She never expects to hurdle toward self-destructive extremes in order to define who she is and
who she wants to be.
Love, in all its forms, has crucial consequences in this standalone novel.
YA FIC HOW
How Beautiful the Ordinary
A girl thought to be a boy steals her sister's skirt, while a boy thought to be a girl refuses to wear
a cornflower blue dress. One boy's love of a soldier leads to the death of a stranger. The present
takes a bittersweet journey into the past when a man revisits the summer school where he had
"an accidental romance." And a forgotten mother writes a poignant letter to the teenage daughter
she hasn't seen for fourteen years. Poised between the past and the future are the stories of
now. In nontraditional narratives, short stories, and brief graphics, tales of anticipation and regret,
eagerness and confusion present distinctively modern views of love, sexuality, and gender
identification. Together, they reflect the vibrant possibilities available for young people learning to
love others—and themselves—in today's multifaceted and quickly changing world.
YA FIC HOW
Howe, James
The Misfits
Four students who do not fit in at their small-town middle school decide to create a third party for
the student council elections to represent all students who have ever been called names.
YA FIC HOW
Howe, James
Totally Joe
Howe continues the story of 13-year-old Joe, one of the protagonists of his fine novel The Misfits,
in this "alphabiography." As an English assignment, Joe is told to write about his life over the
school year from A to Z, with each alphabetical chapter ending in a "Life Lesson" to be shared
with others. At first he thinks this is "lame," but soon he embraces the format and starts to reveal
his life in short, funny, touching vignettes. As he'd be the first to proclaim, Joe is not exactly an
average Joe: he's gay and comfortable with it, and in the course of the novel he acquires his first
boyfriend and comes out to his supportive (and unsurprised) family.
YA FIC HUR
Hurwin, Davida Wills
Freaks and Revelations
This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit;
the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive.
Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives
of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but
ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their
peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.
This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their
story on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR.
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YA FIC HYD
Hyde, Catherine
Jumpstart the World
Elle is a loner. She doesn’t need people. Which is a good thing, because she’s on her own: she
had to move into her own apartment so her mother’s boyfriend won’t have to deal with her. Then
she meets Frank, the guy who lives next door. He’s older and has a girlfriend, but Elle can’t stop
thinking about him. Frank isn’t like anyone Elle has ever met. He listens to her. He’s gentle. And
Elle is falling for him, hard. But Frank is different in a way that Elle was never prepared for: he’s
transgender. And when Elle learns the truth, her world is turned upside down. Now she’ll have to
search inside herself to find not only the true meaning of friendship but her own role in
jumpstarting the world.
YA FIC KAT
Katcher, Brian
Almost Perfect
Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But
things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high
school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people.
Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date
anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage.
Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a
boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But
once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to
understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.
YA FIC KIN
King, A.S. Ask the Passengers
Astrid Jones desperately wants to confide in someone, but her mother's pushiness and her
father's lack of interest tell her they're the last people she can trust. Instead, Astrid spends hours
lying on the backyard picnic table watching airplanes fly overhead. She doesn't know the
passengers inside, but they're the only people who won't judge her when she asks them her most
personal questions . . . like what it means that she's falling in love with a girl. As her secret
relationship becomes more intense and her friends demand answers, Astrid has nowhere left to
turn. She can't share the truth with anyone except the people at thirty thousand feet, and they
don't even know she's there. But little does Astrid know just how much even the tiniest connection
will affect these strangers' lives—and her own—for the better.
YA FIC KLI
Klise, James
Love Drugged
If you could change who you are, would you? Should you? Fifteen-year-old Jamie Bates has a
simple strategy for surviving high school: fit in, keep a low profile, and above all, protect his
biggest secret-he's gay. But when a classmate discovers the truth, a terrified Jamie does all he
can to change who he is. At first, it's easy. Everyone notices when he starts hanging out with
Celia Gamez, the richest and most beautiful girl in school. And when he steals an experimental
new drug that's supposed to "cure" his attraction to guys, Jamie thinks he's finally going to have a
"normal" life. But as the drug's side effects worsen and his relationship with Celia heats up,
Jamie begins to realize that lying and using could shatter the fragile world of deception that he's
created-and hurt the people closest to him.
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YA FIC KNO Knowles, Jo
See You at Harry’s
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things
to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family
restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad
and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s
Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern,
but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it
wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra,
"All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern
can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than
ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well.
Or at least all will never be the same.
YA FIC KON Konigsberg, Bill Openly Straight
Rafe is a normal teenager from Boulder, Colorado. He plays soccer. He's won skiing prizes. He
likes to write. And, oh yeah, he's gay. He's been out since 8th grade, and he isn't teased, and he
goes to other high schools and talks about tolerance and stuff. And while that's important, all Rafe
really wants is to just be a regular guy. Not that GAY guy. To have it be a part of who he is, but
not the headline, every single time. So when he transfers to an all-boys' boarding school in New
England, he decides to keep his sexuality a secret -- not so much going back in the closet as
starting over with a clean slate. But then he sees a classmate breaking down. He meets a teacher
who challenges him to write his story. And most of all, he falls in love with Ben . . . who doesn't
even know that love is possible
YA FIC LAR Larochelle, David
Absolutely, Positively Not…..
Steven's a 16-year-old boy with two obsessions: sex and getting his driving license. The problem
is, Steven's not thinking girls when he's thinking sex. Could he be--don't say it--gay? Steven sets
out to get in touch with his inner he-man with Healthy Heterosexual Strategies such as "Start
Hanging Out with the Guys," and "Begin Intensive Dating." But are Steven's tactics going to
straighten him out, or leave him all twisted up? Absolutely hilarious. Positively sidesplitting. But
absolutely, positively NOT GAY!
YA FIC LEC Lecesne, James
Absolute Brightness
Fifteen-year-old Phoebe lives with her beautiful older sister and her divorced mother, who owns a
beauty salon next door to their small house. Her father has run off with another woman. Her sister
has withdrawn into a shell, and her mother is in an advanced state of denial. Suddenly Phoebe
discovers that she has a shirttail cousin and he's coming to live with them because of her uncle's
irresponsibility. His name is Leonard Pelkey, he's 14, and he's, well, "swishy," or as he calls it,
"being himself." Phoebe is not especially kind to Leonard, but before long he has enchanted all
the old lady patrons of her mother's beauty shop with his sense of style and his insistence that
everyone needs a makeover. Phoebe, who considers herself worldly wise, often grows impatient
with Leonard's vulnerabilities and his refusal to be anyone but his own unique person no matter
how much grief he gets from the other kids at school. Then one day, Leonard disappears, and
everything changes.
9
YA FIC LEV Levithan, David
Two Boys Kissing
Two Boys Kissing tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who
are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all
of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. While the two
increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in
the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out,
navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all
while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other.
YA FIC LEV
Levithan, David Every Day
In his New York Times bestselling novel, David Levithan introduces readers to
what Entertainment Weekly calls a "wise, wildly unique" love story about A, a teen who wakes up
every morning in a different body, living a different life. Every day a different body. Every day a
different life. Every day in love with the same girl. There’s never any warning about where it will
be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live:
Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A
wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the
rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants
to be with—day in, day out, day after day.
YA FIC LEV
Levithan, David
Wide Awake
In the not-too-impossible-to-imagine future, a gay Jewish man has been elected president of the
United States. Until the governor of one state decides that some election results in his state are
invalid, awarding crucial votes to the other candidate, and his fellow party member. Thus is the
inspiration for couple Jimmy and Duncan to lend their support to their candidate by deciding to
take part in the rallies and protests. Along the way comes an exploration of their relationship, their
politics, and their country, and sometimes, as they learn, it's more about the journey than it is
about reaching the destination.
YA FIC LEV
Levithan, David
Boy Meets Boy
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride
Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene
and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight
kids learn how to dance. When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he's found the one his heart is made
for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back,
but Paul's not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting
away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his exboyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall
apart before it can really fit together right. This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about
finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
YA FIC LEV Levithan, David
How They Met & Other Stories
Here are 18 stories, all about love, and about all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you
pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these
love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside
out and upside down. What is love? With this original story collection David Levithan proves that
love is a many splendored thing, a varied, complicated, addictive, wonderful thing.
YA FIC LIE
Lieberman, Leanne
Gravity
How do you deal with being gay when you’re an Orthodox Jew? How do you find your strength of
self when everything around you says you are wrong and evil?
10
YA SF LO
Lo, Malinda
Ash
Cinderella retold In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel
stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire,
rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal
her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she
believes that her wish may be granted. The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her
heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their
friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to
live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between
fairy tale dreams and true love.
YA SF LO
Lo, Malinda
Huntress
Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing.
Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in
the balance. To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two
seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the
city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth,
without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the
mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to
rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to
save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever. The exciting adventure
prequel to Malinda Lo's highly acclaimed novel Ash is overflowing with lush Chinese influences
and details inspired by the I Ching, and is filled with action and romance.
YA FIC LOC
Lockhart, E.
Dramarama
Two theater-mad, self-invented fabulositon Ohio teenagers. One boy, one girl. One gay, one
straight. One black, one white. And Summer Drama Camp. It's a season of hormones, gold lame,
hissy fits, jazz hands, song and dance, true love, and unitards that will determine their future —
and test their friendship.
YA FIC MED
Medina, Nico
The Straight Road to Kylie
Life is fabulous for Jonathan Parish. He's seventeen, out and proud, and ready to party through
senior year with his posse of best girlfriends. But the year starts off with the wrong kind of bang
when Jonathan -- in an inebriated lapse of judgment -- sleeps with a friend of his...a girl friend!
When word gets around that hot-but-previously-unavailable Jonathan might be on the market, the
school's It girl approaches him with a proposal: pretend to be her boyfriend, and achieve
popularity like he's never known. But popularity isn't what Jonathan wants. And suddenly, going
back into the closet becomes Jonathan's only way to get what he's after -- a trip to see Kylie
Minogue.
YA FIC MOO Moore, Perry
Hero
Thom Creed's father, Hal, is an ex-superhero, homophobe, and deformed pariah. Ever since
Thom's mother-literally-disappeared and a freak "accident" left Hal's hand mangled and many
innocent people dead, things have not been too rosy on the Creed homestead. Hal forbids any
mention of heroic activities and scoffs at those with special powers. When Thom discovers that
he can heal people, he receives an invitation to the verboten League. There he is paired with
others who have complementary gifts-clairvoyance, hyper speed, and even the power to make
people ill-but they are anything but amiable. Thom's realization that he is gay, along with his
struggle to keep his new status as a hero secret, further drive a rift between father and son. An
unexpected security breech that occurs within the League helps Thom and his team discover that
they have surprising allies and enemies.
11
YA FIC MOS
Moskowitz, Hannah
Gone, Gone, Gone
It's a year after 9/11. Sniper shootings throughout the D.C. area have everyone on edge and
trying to make sense of these random acts of violence. Meanwhile, Craig and Lio are just trying to
make sense of their lives. Craig’s crushing on quiet, distant Lio, and preoccupied with what it
meant when Lio kissed him...and if he’ll do it again...and if kissing Lio will help him finally get over
his ex-boyfriend, Cody. Lio feels most alive when he's with Craig. He forgets about his broken
family, his dead brother, and the messed up world. But being with Craig means being
vulnerable...and Lio will have to decide whether love is worth the risk.
YA FIC MYR
Myracle, Lauren
Kissing Kate
Sixteen-year-old Lissa's relationship with her best friend changes after they kiss at a party and
Lissa does not know what to do, until she gets help from an unexpected new friend.
YA FIC PAP
Papademetrion, Lisa & Chris Tibbetts
M or F ?
Frannie is desperate to get the attention of her crush, Jeffrey, but too shy to make a move.
Frannie's gay best friend, Marcus, advises her to get the ball rolling by chatting with Jeffrey
online, but Frannie won't type a word. Marcus takes over at the keyboard, and soon his plan is a
success! But the more he chats, the more it seems Jeffrey is falling for Marcus, not Frannie.
Whose romance is this, anyway?
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Ann Far From Xanadu
Mike Szabo must deal with more than her share of problems in this engaging, angsty novel. Her
alcoholic father committed suicide, her obese mother has given up on life, and her no-good
brother has driven the family plumbing business into the ground. To make matters worse, Mike
falls deeply in love with a new girl in their small Kansas town. Bad-girl Xanadu has been sent to
live with her aunt and uncle after getting into serious trouble dealing drugs. She befriends Mike
instantly, though she's undeniably straight, and Mike suffers when Xanadu starts dating. Mike
copes by working out at the gym, fixing her neighbors' plumbing, leading her softball team to a
winning season, and occasionally binge drinking with her friends. Throughout the novel, she
struggles to come to terms with her sexuality-while she is attracted to girls, she doesn't want to
label herself, and objects when her gay best friend, Jamie, tries to do so. The people of Coalton
are accepting of Mike and Jamie, but eventually Mike realizes that she will need to leave her
small town in search of a first relationship, and that her athletic talent might give her a way out.
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
Luna
“Yeah, I loved her. I couldn't help it. She was my brother." Regan has always been there for her
transgender brother, Liam, sacrificing her needs for his, but when he announces that he is ready
to "transition" into Luna permanently, Regan is not sure she can handle the consequences. She
has been his confidant all her life, letting Luna dress in her room, buying underwear for her when
Liam couldn't, and giving support. However, when the attractive new guy in chemistry class
shows an interest in Regan, she wishes her sibling would just go away and give her a chance to
live her own life. Liam realizes that in order for his sister to be free, he, too, must free himself to
become the woman who lives inside him.
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
Between Mom and Jo
Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the
greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest Moms ever, but everything
changes when his birth mom and her wife, Jo, start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in
the middle, and instead of having two Moms to turn to for advice, he has no one. Nick's
emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's
love can survive even the most difficult times.
12
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
She Loves You, She Loves You Not
Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family and her best
friends and, most important, she had Sarah. Sarah, her girlfriend, with whom she dreamed with
about the day they could move far away and live out and proud and accepted for themselves,
instead of having to hide their relationship. Alyssa never thought she would have to make that
move by herself, but disowned by her father and cut off from everyone she loves, she is forced to
move hundreds of miles away to live with Carly, the biological mother she barely knows, in a town
where everyone immediately dismisses her as "Carly's girl." As Alyssa struggles to forget her past
and come to terms with her future, will she be able to build a new life for herself and believe in
love again? Or will she be forced to relive the mistakes that have cost her everything and
everyone she cared about?
YA FIC PET
Peters, Julie Anne
It’s Our Prom (So Deal With It)
When Azure's principal gives her the chance to turn the school's traditional (and boring) senior
prom into an event that will appeal to everyone, not just the jocks and cheerleaders, she jumps at
the opportunity. Soon Azure manages to convince her best friends, Luke and Radhika, to join the
prom committee as well. Facing heavy opposition and admittedly clueless about prom logistics,
the three friends are nonetheless determined to succeed -- if Luke's and Azure's secret crushes
on Radhika don't push the committee members, and their friendships, to the breaking point first.
YA MYS PLU Plum-Ucci, Carol
What Happened to Lani Garver
Claire McKenzie is haunted by her brief relationship with Lani Garver, a newcomer to her close
island community who changed her life.
YA FIC RAI
Rainfield, Cheryl
Scars
Kendra is frightened. She knows the man that sexually abused her is now stalking her. She finds
a note from him in her backpack, and then an MP3 player with a warning recorded on it turns up.
As Kendra tries to keep herself together, the only thing in which she seems to find solace is
cutting herself. Even her counselor does not know about how badly she harms herself, but when
she begins to trust and fall in love with Meghan, another student at her school, she begins to
share her secrets with her. Suddenly Kendra realizes the identity of her abuser, but will she be
able to save herself from him?
YA FIC RAP
Rapp, Adam
Punkzilla
For a runaway boy who goes by the name "Punkzilla," kicking a meth habit and a life of petty
crime in Portland, Oregon, is a prelude to a mission: reconnecting with his older brother, a gay
man dying of cancer in Memphis. Against a backdrop of seedy motels, dicey bus stations, and
hitched rides, the desperate fourteen-year-old meets a colorful, sometimes dangerous cast of
characters. And in letters to his sibling, he catalogs them all — from an abusive stranger and a
ghostly girl to a kind transsexual and an old woman with an oozing eye. The language is raw and
revealing, crackling with visceral details and dark humor, yet with each interstate exit Punkzilla’s
journey grows more urgent: will he make it to Tennessee in time?
YA FIC RUD
Ruditis, Paul
Rainbow Party
Rainbow Party is a cautionary tale about a group of teens faced with the prospect of attending a
party involving oral sex. The novel spotlights each of their diverse viewpoints in the hours leading
up to the party. It explores what each teen has -- and has not -- been up to sexually, and why.
And ultimately, why they would consider going to a party like this in the first place.
13
YA FIC RYA Ryan, P.E. Saints of Augustine
Sam Findley and Charlie Perrin. Best friends. At least they used to be. But a year ago Sam cut
Charlie out of his life—no explanation, no discussion, nothing. Fast-forward one year, and both
Sam's and Charlie's lives are spiraling out of control. Sam has a secret he's finding harder and
harder to hide, and Charlie is dealing with an increasingly absent dad and a dealer whose threats
are anything but empty. As told in alternating chapters from Sam and Charlie during the sticky
Florida summer before their senior year, the ex-best friends are thrown together once again when
they have no one else to turn to.
YA FIC RYA Ryan, Sara
Empress of the World
Fifteen-year-old Nicola Lancaster spends a summer at a program for gifted youths who live like
college students for eight weeks. During that time, Nic becomes friends with beautiful blonde
Battle Hall Davies. She's everything that Nic isn't, but, startlingly, the two soon become more than
friends.
YA FIC RYA
Ryan, Tom
Way to Go
Danny thinks he must be the only seventeen-year-old guy in Cape Breton—in Nova Scotia,
maybe—who doesn't have his life figured out. His buddy Kierce has a rule for every occasion,
and his best friend Jay has bad grades, no plans and no worries. Danny's dad nags him about his
post-high-school plans, his friends bug him about girls and a run-in with the cops means he has
to get a summer job. Worst of all, he's keeping a secret that could ruin everything.
YA FIC SAE Saenz, Benjamin Alire
Secrets of the Universe
Aristotle and Dante Discover the
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way
of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in
common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special
friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that
Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they
want to be.
YA FIC SAN Sanchez, Alex
Rainbow Boys
Three high school seniors, a jock with a girlfriend and an alcoholic father, a closeted gay, and a
flamboyant gay rights advocate, struggle with family issues, gay bashers, first sex, and conflicting
feelings about each other.
YA FIC SAN
Sanchez, Alex
Rainbow High
Follows three gay high school seniors as they struggle with issues of coming out, safe sex,
homophobia, being in love, and college choices.
YA FIC SAN
Sanchez, Alex
Rainbow Road
The final installment of this trilogy is a true winner. Even though coming out publicly resulted in
Virginia high school basketball star Jason Carrillo's losing his college athletic scholarship, it
turned him into an important role model for gay and lesbian teens. And so, when a new GLBT
high school in Los Angeles is searching for a keynote speaker for its opening ceremony, it is not
surprising that Jason is given an all-expenses-paid invitation. His boyfriend, Kyle, definitely wants
to be there, too. And Kyle's best friend-pink-haired, boy-hungry Nelson-has a car and thinks that
this would be the perfect opportunity for a post-senior-year road trip. Virginia to L.A. by car: 3000
miles and plenty of time to gain an understanding of what being gay in America is all about.
These boys are distinct personalities and genuine teens, searching for clarity and identity and
acceptance, trying to make sense of themselves and a world that can be equally bright and dark.
14
YA FIC SAN
Sanchez, Alex
Getting It
At fifteen, Carlos Amoroso is not only the last remaining virgin among his friends, but he has a
crush on Roxy Rodriguez. His friends keep telling him she's out of his league, and they just might
be right. But Carlos refuses to give up and while watching a TV makeover show one night he
comes up with an interesting plan to change his non-love life. He's going to ask Sal to make him
over, just like on TV. After all, Sal is gay just like the guys on TV. There are just a couple of
problems on the road to winning Roxy Rodriguez. Sal will only help if Carlos promises to help him
start a Gay-Straight Alliance at school. In hanging out with Sal, Carlos is in danger of being
labeled "gay" by the entire school. And there's also something else that Carlos forgot—life isn't
like a TV show.
YA FIC SAN
Sanchez, Alex
So Hard To Say
Frederick is the shy new boy, and Xio is the bubbly chica who lends him a pen on the first day of
class. They become fast friends -- but when Xio decides she wants to be more than friends,
Frederick isn't so sure. He loves hanging out with Xio and he crew, but he doesn't like her that
way. Instead he finds himself thinking more and more about Victor, the captain of the soccer
team. But does that mean Frederick's gay? He hopes not -- he sees how everyone makes fun of
Iggy, a boy all the other kids think is gay. Frederick has to deal with some tough choices: Even
though he is curious about Iggy, he's just started fitting in at his new school, and he doesn't want
to lose Xio, his best friend.
YA FIC SAN
Sanchez, Alex
Boyfriends With Girlfriends
Lance has always known he was gay, but he's never had a real boyfriend. Sergio is bisexual, but
his only real relationship was with a girl. When the two of them meet, they have an instant
connection--but will it be enough to overcome their differences? Allie's been in a relationship with
a guy for the last two years--but when she meets Kimiko, she can't get her out of her mind. Does
this mean she's gay? Does it mean she's bi? Kimiko, falling hard for Allie, and finding it
impossible to believe that a gorgeous girl like Allie would be into her, is willing to stick around and
help Allie figure it out.
YA FIC SLO
Sloan, Brian
A Really Nice Prom Mess
High school senior Cameron Hayes gets coerced into going to the prom with a girl, even though
he'd rather be with his boyfriend. The evening goes from bad to worse when his fake date gets
sloshed, his boyfriend slugs him when he sees Cam kissing his fake date, and Cam flees the
prom in disguise with a drug dealer. Then things really spin out of control. Over the course of one
harrowing and hysterical night, Cameron's life comes undone, leading to accidental revelations,
criminal adventures, and an unlikely romance.
YA FIC SMI
Smith, Andrew
Stick
Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for
being “deformed” – he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to
defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend one another from their abusive parents. When Stick
realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home.
Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter
good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the
tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love – and his brother.
15
YA FIC SMI Smith, Andrew
Winger
Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in
Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby
team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy. With the
help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean
manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when
the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it
feels like everything has fallen apart.
YA FIC SON
The Mother Dies
Sones, Sonya
One of Those Hideous Books Where
It is true that the mother dies, but this hilarious and painfully real novel in verse and letters is
anything but hideous. Ruby Milliken knows everything that she needs to know about her father,
Whip Logan, whom she has not seen since she was a baby. He is a world-class actor, and more
important, a world-class jerk who left her and her mother and never wrote once. When her mother
dies, however, Ruby is sent from her home in Massachusetts to Los Angeles to live with him. She
resolves not to like him, a decision that is steadily worn down by a mutual love of classic cars and
some first-rate mediation by Max, Whip's personal assistant. As the school year progresses,
Ruby finds a home in Los Angeles and makes some important discoveries about Whip's absence
from her life. Whip Logan might be in the movies, but Sones's sparse, carefully chosen prose is
the star here, conveying Ruby's conflicts of home, friendship, and family in a sympathetic,
thoroughly believable manner.
YA FIC ST
St. James, James
Freak Show
Billy Bloom is gay, but it’s mostly theoretical, as he hasn’t had much experience. When he has to
move to Florida, he can’t believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles,
Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of which are exactly his type. Billy’s efforts to fit in and
stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending.
YA FIC SUT
Sutherland, Suzanne
When We Were Good
The year 2000 isn't starting out too well for Toronto high school senior Katherine Boatman. Not
only has her oldest friend ditched her for yet another boyfriend, her beloved grandmother died on
New Year's Eve, leaving a void of goodness in her life that Katherine's not sure how to fill. While
overwhelmed with sadness and self-doubt, Katherine unexpectedly finds new love, both for
Toronto's underground music scene and for her would-be savior: a straight-edge, loudmouthed
misfit named Marie. As Katherine seeks comfort in jagged guitars, mind-reading poets and honest
conversations, she struggles to figure out not only what she and Marie might mean to each other,
but also what it truly means to be good.
16
YA FIC TAR
Tarttelin, Abigail
Golden Boy
Max Walker is a golden boy. Attractive, intelligent, and athletic, he’s the perfect son, the perfect
friend, and the perfect crush for the girls in his school. He’s even really nice to his little brother.
Karen, Max’s mother, is determined to maintain the façade of effortless excellence she has
constructed through the years, but now that the boys are getting older, she worries that the
façade might soon begin to crumble. Adding to the tension, her husband Steve has chosen this
moment to stand for election to Parliament. The spotlight of the media is about to encircle their
lives. The Walkers are hiding something, you see. Max is special. Max is different. Max is
intersex. When an enigmatic childhood friend named Hunter steps out of his past and abuses his
trust in the worst possible way, Max is forced to consider the nature of his well-kept secret. Why
won’t his parents talk about it? What else are they hiding from Max about his condition and from
each other? The deeper Max goes, the more questions emerge about where it all leaves him and
what his future holds, especially now that he’s starting to fall head over heels for someone for the
first time in his life. Will his friends accept him if he is no longer the Golden Boy? Will anyone ever
want him—desire him—once they know? And the biggest one of all, the question he has to look
inside himself to answer: Who is Max Walker, really?
YA FIC VOL
Volponi, Paul
Crossing Lines
Adonis is a jock. He's on the football team and he's dating one of the prettiest girls in school. Alan
is the new kid. He wears lipstick and joins the Fashion Club. Soon enough the football team is out
to get him. Adonis is glad to go along with his teammates . . . until they come up with a dangerous
plan to humiliate Alan. Now Adonis must decide whether he wants to be a guy who follows the
herd or a man who does what's right.
YA FIC WAL
Walliams, David
The Boy in the Dress
Everybody needs friends— especially a boy in a dress!
Dennis' life is boring and lonely. His mother left two years ago, his truck driver father is
depressed, his brother is a bully and, worst of all, “no hugging” is one of their household rules.
But one thing Dennis does have is soccer—he's the leading scorer on his team. Oh, and did we
mention his secret passion for fashion? When Dennis' friend Lisa discovers his stash of Vogue
magazines, she convinces him to vamp it up and wear a dress to school. But in class, his
hilarious hijinks as “Denise” are brought to a screeching halt when the headmaster discovers his
secret and delivers the worst punishment of all—Dennis is expelled from school and therefore
forbidden to play in the soccer Final Cup! Can the team win the most important game of the year
without their star player? And, more importantly, will Dennis gain the love and respect of his
friends and family, even in a dress?
YA FIC WIL
Wilkinson, Lili
Pink
Ava has a secret. She is tired of her ultracool attitude, ultra-radical politics, and ultrablack
clothing. She's ready to try something new—she's even ready to besomeone new. Someone who
fits in, someone with a gorgeous boyfriend, someone who wears pink. Transferring to Billy
Hughes School for Academic Excellence is the perfect chance to try on a new identity. But just in
case things don't work out, Ava is hiding her new interests from her parents, and especially from
her old girlfriend. Secrets have a way of being hard to keep, though, and Ava finds that changing
herself is more complicated than changing her wardrobe. Even getting involved in the school
musical raises issues she never imagined. As she faces surprising choices and unforeseen
consequences, Ava wonders if she will ever figure out who she really wants to be.
YA FIC WIL
Wilson, Jacqueline
Kiss
HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT. Sylvie is sure Carl loves her, so why hasn’t he kissed her?
Sylvie and Carl have always been best friends, and Sylvie’s always dreamed that they’d get
married someday. But when she begins to realize that Carl may be more interested in boys than
girls, Sylvie struggles to hold on to the pieces of her shattered dreams.
17
YA FIC WIT
Wittlinger, Ellen
Parrotfish
Angela Katz-McNair has always felt more like a boy than a girl. She tried being a tomboy and
then a lesbian on her way to figuring out her gender identity. Upon realizing she is transgendered,
which she describes as having the soul of a typical boy in the body of a girl, Angela cuts her hair
short, wraps her breasts in an Ace® bandage to flatten them, wears boys clothes, and changes
her name to Grady, making this transformation over the Thanksgiving holiday. Against the
backdrop of the family's annual epic Christmas decorating extravaganza, Grady faces the
stereotypical reactions of his peers, teachers, friends, and relatives as they attempt to deal with
his new identity. Friends abandon him, his sister believes her life is ruined, he is harassed and
subjected to humiliation, and the school principal offers no support. But soon new friendships are
formed, support is found in unexpected places, and Grady falls in love.
YA FIC WIT
Wittlinger, Ellen
Love and Lies
Marisol Guzman has deferred college for a year to accomplish two things: She will write a novel
and she will fall in love. How hard could that be? She gets her very own apartment (with her high
school best friend as roommate) and a waitressing job at a classic Harvard Square coffeehouse.
When she enrolls in an adult education class -- "How to Write Your First Novel" -- there are two
big surprises waiting for her: John Galardi, aka "Gio," a fellow zine writer who fell head over heels
for her last spring (despite the fact that she's a lesbian) and her instructor, Olivia Frost, the most
exquisitely beautiful woman she's ever seen. But as Marisol ventures into what seems to be her
storybook romance with Olivia, things start to go off track. Between the ups and downs of her new
relationship, her strained friendship with Lee (a newly out lesbian who is crushing big-time on
Marisol), and her roommate's new boyfriend (who is equally afraid of Marisol and their cat)
moving in, Marisol starts losing sight of her goals. Is she too blinded by love to see the lies?
YA FIC WOO
Woodson, Jacqueline
The House You Pass On the Way
Thirteen-year-old Staggerlee used to be called Evangeline, but she took on a fiercer name. She's
always been different—set apart by the tragic deaths of her grandparents in an anti-civil rights
bombing, by her parents' interracial marriage, and by her family's retreat from the world. This
summer she has a new reason to feel set apart—her confused longing for her friend Hazel. When
cousin Trout comes to stay, she gives Staggerlee a first glimpse of her possible future selves and
the world beyond childhood.
YA FIC WRI
Wright, Bil
Putting Makeup on Dead People
Since her father’s death four years ago, Donna’s been stuck in her grief, cut off from friends and
family, and clueless about what to do after high school graduation. That is, until she’s standing in
front of the dead body of a classmate at Brighton Brothers Funeral Home. At that moment, Donna
realizes that what might give her life purpose is comforting others in death. That maybe she really
wants to be . . . a mortician? This discovery sets in motion a life Donna never imagined was
possible. By taking one big risk, Donna comes into her own. And she finally understands that
moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting someone you love.
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Non-Fiction:
YA-RM 306.76 BEA
Beam, Cris
TransParent
YA-RM 306.76 BEL Belge, Kathy & Marko Bieschke
Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens
YA-RM 306.76 H Huegel, Kelly
and Questioning Teens
Queer: The
GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer
YA-RM 306.766 H
Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and
Confronting Homophobia
YA-RM 306.766 LET
Selves
Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes to Their Younger
YA-RM 306.766 MAR Marcus, Eric What If? Answers to Questions About
What it Means to Be Gay or Lesbian
YA-RM 813 SPE
Speaking Out: LGBTQ Youth Stand Up
YA-RM 940.5318 SET
COMICS B BEC
B BOY
Setterington, Ken
Bechdel, Alison
Branded by the Pink Triangle
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Boylan, Jennifer Finney She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders
19