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Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
Title: Parrotfish Author: Ellen Wittlinger Original Publication Date: 2007 Original Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers Queer Representation: 1 Transmale protagonist Page Length: 287 One of the first QYA novels with a transgender protagonist. Memorable Quote: “People changed lots of other personal things all the time. They dyed their hair and dieted themselves to near death … Why was gender the one sacred thing we weren’t supposed to change? Who made that rule?” REVIEW: When Angela Katz-McNair came out as a lesbian, her parents and friends barely batted an eye. However when Angela comes out as transgender and asks to be called Grady from now on, everyone seems to have more trouble. Grady’s mother cannot…
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Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman
Title: Alex as Well Author: Alyssa Brugman Original Publication Date: 2013 Original Publisher: Text Publishing Company Queer Representation: 1 intersex protagonist, 1 bisexual supporting character Page Length: 214 First published in Australia and then later in the United States, Alex as Well may very well be the first representation of intersex identity in Young Adult literature Memorable Quote: “There are moments in life when something happens and it changes everything forever. You make one decision and after that you can’t go back. It doesn’t even have to be a big thing.” Review: After an incident that occurs in his high school and the decision to stop taking the pills his parents say that he needs, Alex makes…
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Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers
Title: Dance on My Grave Author: Aiden Chambers Original Publication Date: 1982 Original Publisher: Bodley Head Queer Representation: 1 teenage gay protagonist, 1 (bisexual/queer) love interest Page Length: 253 Hal, both in relation to Barry and on his own, is a psychologically rich character worthy of deeper thought and examination Memorable Quote: “Maybe I loved him. I thought I did. As much as I knew what the word means. How do you ever know? I used to think I would know when it happened. Know immediately, without having to wonder about it.” Review: When Hal Robinson capsizes in his classmate’s boat that he borrowed, he is rescued by Barry Gorman. Barry is a few years older than…
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Title: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Author: Becky Albertalli Original Publication Date: 2015 Original Publisher: Balzer +Bray Queer Representation: 1 teenage gay protagonist, 1 unknown gay character, 2 gay minor characters Page Length: 303 Simon is a lovable and witty character that we can all relate to, and his story is the first queer YA novel to be made into a major motion picture Memorable Quote: “Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn’t be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I’m just saying.” Review: Imagine being a gay teenager dealing with life in the closet. Imagine that the only person who knows…
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Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
Title: Annie on My Mind Author: Nancy Garden Original Publication Date: July 1982 Original Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Queer Representation: 2 teenage lesbian protagonists, 2 secondary lesbian adults Page Length: 234 One of the first QYA novels to offer up the revolutionary idea that you don’t have to make queer characters suffer to have a good novel. Memorable Quote: “Don’t punish yourselves for people’s ignorant reactions to what we all are. Don’t let ignorance win. Let love.” REVIEW: When Liza Winthrop first spots Annie Kenyon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she is immediately drawn to the singing girl surrounded by quiet people. The two may have come from different backgrounds —…
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Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Title: Weetzie Bat Author: Francesca Lia Block Original Publication Date: 1989 Original Publisher: HarperCollins Page Length: 128 Queer Representation: 2 gay male primary characters The first modern queer young adult fairy tale and a novel that helps readers to believe in magic and happy endings. Memorable Quote: “She knew they were all afraid. But love and disease are both like electricity, Weetzie thought. They are always there — you can’t see or smell or hear, touch or taste them, but you know they are there like a current in the air. We can choose, Weetzie thought, we can choose to plug into the love current instead.” REVIEW: In the first…
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Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Title: Boy Meets Boy Author: David Levithan Original Publication Date: September 1, 2003 Original Publisher: Knopf Page Length: 185 Queer Representation: Gay male protagonist, multiple lesbian, bi, trans, queer + secondary characters Levithan offers readers a hopeful look into a utopian world where being queer is not only normal, but may even be better than being straight. Memorable Quote: “I find my greatest strength in wanting to be strong. I find my greatest bravery in deciding to be brave. I don’t know if I’ve ever realized it before,[…] I think we both realize it now. If there’s no feeling of fear, then there’s no need for courage.” The idea…
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Happy Endings Are All Alike by Sandra Scoppettone
Title: Happy Endings Are All Alike Author: Sandra Scoppettone Original Publication Date: 1978 Original Publisher: Page Length: 200 Queer Representation: 2 teenage lesbian protagonists An early queer young adult book that moves beyond the two romantic leads to show the supposed impact of being queer on an entire small town. Memorable Quote: “And so what if happy endings didn’t exist? Happy moments did.” REVIEW: The heart of this novel lies in the Scoppettone’s ability to make dynamic and interesting characters. Jaret and Peggy initially disliked each other, but when their mutual friend forced them into the same room, they quickly became inseparable. It was not long after that they realized they were…
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I’ll Get There. It Better be Worth the Trip by John Donovan
Title: I’ll Get There. It Better be Worth the Trip Author: James Donovan Original Publication Date: June 1969 Original Publisher: Harper & Row Page Length: 199 Queer Representation: 2 possibly gay teenage boy protagonists Widely regarded as the first ever novel to explicitly address themes of queerness meant for a young adult audience, I’ll Get There, is certainly worth the read, even if some of the elements now seem outdated and problematic. Memorable Quote: “Then Father talks a lot about how hysterical people sometimes get when they discover that other people aren’t just what they are expected to be. He tells me there are Republicans who are always secretly disappointed when friends…
