Include! Include! Include!

 Week 10 Blog Entry

Camp by L.C. Rosen

Randy is sixteen and headed to Camp Outland where queer teens spend the summer preparing for the big event: a camp musical; but Randy’s focus is on getting Hudson, who is only attracted to masculine boys, to fall in love with him even though it means changing everything about himself.

I found this book on display in our Teen Room for the “Beyond the Beaten Path” Summer Reading theme and did select it for its cover I must admit but also because it is not just a fluffy summer read (which can also be important to include in reading lists) but also looks closely at gender and identity in a seemingly authentic way. I would especially like to find out what Randy learns about himself as he tries to pretend he is someone else and think that is an important storyline for teens to delve into.

A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow

Author Robin Gow explores a transgender coming of age story in verse about a relationship between Aaron, a Puerto Rican artist, and Oliver, a white Jewish teen, and how their relationship is tested when one family must move away to New York.

I like that this book empowers the characters to find themselves reflected in the history as they dig up historical writings about trans men serving in the Revolutionary War who are in love. It is a powerful way to for readers to think about their own place in history as well and how this relationship would have been viewed long ago. Providing this style of storytelling is also a beautiful alternative for varied reader interest as opposed to traditional prose. I found this book while researching newly released transgender YA books.

The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue

This second book in All Our Hidden Gifts series follows four friends in Ireland gifted with supernatural abilities who must navigate their final year of high school with one friend leaving for college while trying to tame their magic and protect themselves from the hateful Children of Brigid group.

I was excited to find this in the Southborough Library’s "New" YA collection because of its beautiful fantasy storytelling set within a nonbinary romance. I also think teens could relate to its honest reflections about anxiety and mental health topics as well as how the characters make their way through the challenges of everyday life. It seems to have it all: love story, mystery, and magic in a way that can provide teens with a way to reflect upon their own vulnerabilities. This can be read as a stand-alone.

Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk

When two girls begin a friendship and realize their feelings for each other are much more, readers are taken on a journey into the beginning and end of their relationship in a raw and compelling in verse account.

I was drawn to another lyrical novel because of its emphasis on first love and heartbreak as well as the complexity of female friendship that examines two Black characters written from the perspective of a Black female author. I kept seeing this pop up in book reviews online and was happy to get my hands on it. And what a cover! Just glancing at a few of the pages and the words are very raw and honest. The author writes that this book was born out of the space where friendship, romance and incompatibility collide which I think applies to any kind of reader as we have all experienced that feeling.

Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei

A debut novel by nonibary author A.L. Graziadei, two college freshman fight to be the best hockey players on the ice but realize their rivalry is becoming something more as Mickey and Jaysen must decide how this will play out in and outside of the rink.

When I saw the theme of “hating to dating” tagged in our library catalog, I jumped at the chance to highlight this unique LGBTQ+ sports fiction story. I also like that the author examines how Jaysen’s is one of the only Black athletes on his team and how race and identity are represented in sports. Finally, Mickey, who is bisexual, works through mental health issues (depression and anxiety) in a realistic way that gives words to this important topic for teens who might see themselves in these characters.