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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] The Letter Q Edited by Sarah Moon & James Lecesne This is a diverse and encouraging anthology of more than 60 letters that popular queer authors have written to their younger selves. Each letter is written with craft and care and is filled with honesty and wisdom that may never be delivered back in time, but can be so hopeful for those who are still coming to terms with their sexuality in a variety of contexts. We would especially recommend

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Totally Joe James Howe Totally Joe is written in the form of an alphabiography – a writing assignment given to Joe’s (the main character) grade 7 class, and takes place over the course of a year. Throughout his alphabiography, Joe introduces us to his group of friends, “The Misfits,” his family, the school bullies, and a couple of cute boys. Joe is adorable and quirky, and his story is a breath of fresh air from the often angst-filled queer

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Benjamin Alire Sáenz When we began collecting ideas for this portion of our website, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe was by far the most beloved novel of the GS Youth Group. Several of the teens name it as their queer fiction for youth/YA. Written from the perspective of angsty Mexican American teen, Aristotle, the narrative is not so much focused on a solid p

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Fun Home a Family Tragicomic Alison Bechdel “In this graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father. Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelatio

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Becky Albertalli Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda is a moving story that focuses on one teenage boy and all of his significant relationships – the boy who is blackmailing him, the other boy who he flirts with online but has never met, and his tight-knit friend group that seems to be unravelling more and more everyday. Becky Albertalli has an absolute gift when it comes to the YA genre. Her depictions are ho

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] I’ll Give You The Sun Jandy Nelson This story opens with 13 year old twins, Jude and Noah, who might as well be conjoined they are so close. We initially read this history through the lens of Noah, even though he is clearly the quiet and shy one of the two. When the story flashes forward three years, the POV shifts to Jude, and we find that the twins’ close relationship has had a massive interruption as they barely speak to one another. Alo

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Worm Loves Worm Written by J.J Austrian Illustrated by Mike Curato 32 Pages As with many love stories, this one leads to marriage. Since they are worms and their gender is unclear, all their friends want to know is, who will wear the wedding dress? In the end they each wear parts of each other’s outfits, and teach everyone that relationships are about love, not what you wear. This beautifully illustrated story will have readers wanted to tu

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] King and King Written by Linda De Haan Illustrated by Stern Nijland 32 Pages This is the well-known story of Cinderella with a twist. When the queen insists that her son get married, the Prince begrudgingly agrees. However, this is no easy feat. One by one all the bachelorettes of the land introduce themselves, hoping to be the chosen Princess. It is not until Princess Madeleine appears that the Prince falls in love… with her brother, Princ

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] And Tango Makes Three Written by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell Illustrated by Henry Cole 32 pages Roy and Silo live at the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo in New York City. They are a little different from the other males:they are not interested in the female penguins… but in each other. Soon a zookeeper notices their loving relationship and decides like the other penguins at the zoo they too should experience what it means to hav