Tag Archives: LGBTQ

YA – Friday I’m in Love

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Garrett, Camryn. Friday I’m in Love. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-43510-6. 272 p. $18.99. Grades 8-12.

California teen Mahalia Harris missed out on the sweet sixteen party of her dreams due to finances; she and her single mom just couldn’t cover the cost. She decides on a coming out party instead, planning to reveal her queer identity to her closest friends and family at a big bash instead of one by one. Naturally the cake, invitations, and custom dress will reflect a rainbow theme! Despite Mahalia’s careful budgeting plans, everything is complicated by her mom’s unexpected medical needs, a landslide of schoolwork, tension with her bestie, and a flirty but unavailable new girl at school. Siobahn, who has recently relocated to San Diego from Ireland, seems interested in Mahalia but is currently dating another classmate, Danny. Although Mahalia’s crush is undeniable, she doesn’t know for certain if Siobahn is attracted to girls as well as boys … at first. Camryn Garrett’s third novel (and first romantic comedy) includes plenty of genuinely comedic moments to balance out the relationship angst. The author also realistically portrays the financial burdens that so many teens face. One criticism: throughout Friday I’m in Love, Mahalia references her curves. It’s unfortunate that the cover art, which depicts Mahalia’s fabulously proud 2custom dress, does not accurately reflect the character’s shape.

THOUGHTS: Fans of queer romantic comedies, especially readers of Leah Johnson’s You Should See Me in a Crown, will not want to miss this one! 

Realistic Fiction

YA – Greywaren

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Stiefvater, Maggie. Greywaren. Scholastic, 2022. 978-1-338-18839-4. $19.99. 384 p. Grades 9-12.

The Lynch family secrets finally are being revealed. Their lives are intertwined with dreams and realities, but the surviving brothers are on the brink of destruction. Declan is doing his best to keep Matthew awake and alive while Ronan has fallen into a deep and unwaking sleep. As the story of their parents comes to light, so does the reality of Ronan’s actions, and dreams around the world are in dire need of sweetmetals to keep them awake. Will Ronan find the strength to save the world and his family, or will he abandon them to ruin and destruction amongst the chaos in the world?

THOUGHTS: Greywaren is the final book in Stiefvater’s Dreamer trilogy, a companion to The Raven Cycle. Stiefvater has crafted a perfect ending for the brothers Lynch, first introduced to readers in The Raven Boys, and readers will be rooting for Ronan and Adam as they find their way back to one another outside of their idyllic life at the Barns. 

Fantasy          Emily Hoffman, Conestoga Valley SD

MG – Ellen Outside the Lines

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Sass, A. J. Ellen Outside the Lines. Little, Brown and Company, 2022. 978-0-759-55627-0. 331 p. $16.99. Grades 4-8.

A school trip to Barcelona is a big undertaking for someone like Ellen, who likes to be surrounded by schedules, routines, and familiar friends and family. However, with her best friend Laurel and her father, called Abba, on the trip with her, Ellen is determined to make the two-week experience work by using the rigid but safe framework of her life to cope with any challenges she might face. When her class arrives in Spain, however, she realizes her familiar routines will be disrupted with new friends, new experiences, and new obstacles, and she must work to expand her ideas about life, friendship, and family in order to grow and become a better, more complex version of herself. 

THOUGHTS: The new friends Ellen makes throughout this book really allow her to explore many preconceived notions she has always held about the world around her. Ellen’s Jewish faith also plays a big part in the story, highlighting the way her parents support her as she navigates questions about what her faith means to her, how important her culture is to her everyday life, and how she handles the faiths and cultures of those around her. Barcelona is an interesting backdrop to this story and helps to illustrate the importance of new experiences in life.

Realistic Fiction          Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD

YA – Forging Silver into Stars

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Kremmer, Brigid. Forging Silver into Stars. Bloomsbury, 2022. 978-1547609123. $18.99. 560. Grades 9-12.

Callyn and Jax live in the small village of Briarwood. Callyn runs her family’s bakery while taking care of her younger sister, and Jax works for his abusive father as a blacksmith. These two best friends care for each other in any way they can, especially since Jax lost a leg in an accident and Callyn and her sister are on their own after the death of their father. When Jax agrees to hold secret messages for payment, he puts his life, and Callyn’s, in danger. In addition to these secret correspondences, two strangers enter their small town and threaten to turn the friends against one another. As Jax grows close to Lord Tycho, the King’s courier, Callyn befriends Lord Aleck who is fiercely loyal to his queen, and suddenly the friends find themselves on opposite sides of brewing rebellion against a magic wielding King. When the fight arrives in Briarwood, loyalties and friendships will be tested, and magic may save or destroy them all.

THOUGHTS: Forging Silver into Stars is a spinoff of Kremmer’s Cursebreaker series. I did not read the original trilogy and didn’t realize it was a spinoff until I got into the story. They provide a lot of background to the original trilogy, so I wasn’t confused at all, but it did spoil some key plot points of the original. That being said, this story hooked me from the start, and it’s a fantastic start to a new fantasy series. There is quite a bit of romance with two love stories mixed into the plot, but I didn’t find the scenes to be overly descriptive (instead typical of a YA novel).

Fantasy          Emily Hoffman, Conestoga Valley SD

MG – Small Town Pride

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Stamper, Phil.  Small Town Pride. Harper, 2023. 978-0-063-11878-2. 260 p. $16.99. Grades 5-8.

Jake is adjusting to being his school’s first openly gay kid, but it’s not easy. His family and friends have been accepting but not everyone in the small Ohio town he lives in feels the same. The book starts with Jake coming home to an obscenely large pride flag hanging outside his house…his house across the street from the mayor’s house. People in town begin to be concerned that this could lead to a pride parade. Which causes Jake to think…why not? The main problem is that they would have to get approval from the town council and the mayor. Will Jake and his friends be able to convince people that a Pride celebration is an awesome idea? Why is Brett, the mayor’s son, spending so much time with Jake and his friends?

THOUGHTS: This was a wonderful story about standing up for yourself and what that can look like for an individual person. Highly recommended for any middle school collection.

Realistic Fiction          Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

YA – Dig Two Graves

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McNeil, Gretchen. Dig Two Graves. Hyperion, 2022. 978-1-368-07284-7. 352 p. $17.99. Grades 7-12.

Neve’s life seemed to derail from the moment her dad had a mental health breakdown and couldn’t return to his IT job, forcing their family to move into Grandma K’s old house in Carlsbad, CA where Neve’s mom grew up. Things were looking up for a while when Neve and Yasmin, a recent Chicago transplant, became friends. That turned out to be disastrous, and now Neve is even more of a social pariah at school. Before Yasmin, Neve already was considered an outcast due to her love of classic black-and-white film noir and its fashion which earned Neve the nickname “I Love Lucy.” With no friends and an offer of one year’s college tuition plus room and board from Grandma K, Neve accepts a spot at GLAM  Camp (Girls Leadership and Mentorship). While her mom (a former GLAMster) and Grandma K think GLAM will be a great reset before senior year, all Neve sees upon arrival are the types of girls she’d love to avoid. But no one at GLAM knows Yasmin, so even among a sea of fancy luggage and peppy girls, maybe it won’t be all that bad. Neve seems to luck out with her roommate Inara, a returning GLAMster who wears an impressive amount of plaid, but it’s Diane who captures Neve’s attention. Though polar opposites, the two bond over the ways they’ve been wronged by others, and by the end of GLAM they’re the best of friends. When a late night confessional on the last night of camp ends in a bargain – “if I took care of Yasmin and you got rid of Javier” – Neve suddenly feels uncomfortable, but of course it’s just exaggerated, exhausted conversation among friends. No one actually would get rid of anyone, right? But when Neve returns to school and everyone suspects her of foul play, a text from an unrecognizable number, “Your turn, BFF.” chills Neve to the bone. Was Diane serious, and will Neve have to keep her end of the bargain or is there another explanation for this mess she’s gotten herself in?

THOUGHTS: Hand this character driven thriller to classic film fans and those who like books by April Henry (Two Truths and a Lie) or Karen McManus (Nothing More to Tell). Recommended for high school collections where stand alone mysteries are in demand.

Mystery          Maryalice Bond, South Middleton SD

Elem. – Bathe the Cat

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McGinty, Alice. Bathe the Cat. Chronicle Books, 2022. 978-1-452-14270-8. Unpaged $17.99. Grades K-2.

Bathe the Cat is a funny rhyming picture book about a family whose grandmother is coming to visit, so they make a list of chores to do. One of those chores is to bathe the cat, which doesn’t make the cat very happy. So the cat spends the rest of the picture book messing the chore list up, so they end up doing things like mowing the floor and mopping the fishes. Finally by the end of the book the chores are done, grandma has come, and the cat escaped their bath. Throughout this book, the reader will love finding the cat and their mischievous ways they mess with the chores.

THOUGHTS: Wonderful picture book with charming illustrations. Definitely a great addition to any elementary collection.

Picture Book          Mary McEndree, Lehigh Valley Regional Charter Academy

YA – We Deserve Monuments

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Hammonds, Jas. We Deserve Monuments. Roaring Brook Press, 2022. 978-1-250-81655-9. 375 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Avery Anderson’s family has just relocated from Washington, DC, to rural Bardell, Georgia, and she is none too happy about it. The pandemic robbed Avery of many classic high school moments, and she has recently broken up with her first serious girlfriend. Now her maternal grandmother has terminal cancer, and over Mama Letty’s objections the Andersons are moving in to be present for her final months. Avery starts her senior year at Beckwith Academy and quickly bonds with her next door neighbor, Simone, and her bestie, Jade. Meanwhile, things remain tense at home. Avery’s mom and grandmother clash constantly, and Avery has questions about her grandfather that no one will answer. Avery’s motto (“Get in, get out, no drama, focus forward”) becomes more difficult to maintain as a crush on Simone blossoms into a secret romance. Brief interstitial chapters from an omniscient point of view add depth of perspective on Bardell and its inhabitants throughout the years. Add in two unsolved murders and this debut novel undeniably has a lot going on, but Jas Hammonds pulls it off beautifully. 

THOUGHTS: We Deserve Monuments offers a timely commentary on racism and homophobia as well as the unparalleled joy of first love, intergenerational connections, and the cost of keeping secrets. 

Realistic Fiction          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD

YA – Aces Wild

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DeWitt, Amanda. Aces Wild. Peachtree Teen, 2022. 978-1-682-63466-0. 345 p. $17.99. Grades 7-12.

Jack Shannon’s life falls apart when his Las Vegas casino mogul mother is arrested. It’s not that she doesn’t operate afoul of the law; it’s that she’s too smart to get caught. The high school junior knows her rival, Pete Carlevaro, is responsible. Jack and his two sisters, along with their father, gather at their casino suite home. Jack, closest to their mom, is determined to get revenge, with a little help from his friends. Jack has never been good with social relationships at his boarding school, despite running an illegal blackjack club; he met his best friends online, bonding over their ace (asexual) identities. These are the people he can rely on to help vindicate his mother. But when they meet IRL, Jack is disturbed to discover that he has a crush on one of his friends. Is that even possible? This riotous Ocean’s Eleven for teens is fast paced and fun. Jack, a loner from a dysfunctional family, is determined to out-con the con, but makes one bad decision after another, even as he acknowledges he’s making bad decisions. His first person narration is spot on, hooking readers from the first page. The twists and turns continue to the end of the book, although one big reveal is somewhat obvious. Jack’s friends are an amusing, endearing, diverse group: Latinx, Black and a Vietnamese American/German gender-neutral individual. Jack’s middle sister, Kerry, is hearing impaired. The ace issue is casually referred to throughout the book, but does not dominate the narrative, leaving the casino shenanigans to take center stage. 

THOUGHTS: This is a delightful, movie-worthy romp that is suitable for middle school and up. Mild language, but appropriate to the situation. The asexual narrative is deftly handled: informative but not overwhelming. This isn’t a book about ace kids, but rather about an engaging group of friends running a Vegas con, who happen to be ace. 

Mystery          Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD

YA – I’m the Girl

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Summers, Courtney. I’m the Girl. Wednesday Books, 2022. 978-1-250-80836-3. 352 p. $18.99. Grades 10 & up.

When 16 year old Georgia Avis discovers the body of 13 year old Ashley James on the road to infamous celebrity hideout Aspera, it becomes Georgia’s mission to determine what happened to Ashley. She teams up with Nora, Ashley’s older sister, and is thrown into a world of money, corruption, and greed. As a child raised in the shadow of Aspera, Georgia always dreamed of becoming an “Aspera Girl,” girls known for their beauty and exclusive access to celebrities. Georgia’s own naive misunderstanding of Aspera and its employees gets in the way of her realizing the gravity of the situation she has gotten into by becoming employed at Aspera. As time progresses and the truth about Ashley’s death becomes clear, Georgia’s beliefs are challenged and hard decisions have to be made.

THOUGHTS: Summers’ follow up to previous hit thrillers does not leave you wanting.  This title deals with topics such as abuse, rape, and murder much more openly and violently than previous titles by Summers. A content warning is provided at the beginning of the book and gives insight into Georgia’s frame of mind as a naive girl learning about the toughest aspects of the world.

Mytstery          Natasha Lewis, Whitehall-Coplay SD