Saturday, September 14, 2013

Lesbian Contemporary Fiction

Young adult books with a lead lesbian female character set in the present day. A mixture of coming out stories, first loves, and books that just happen to feature a lesbian teenage protagonist.

Ages 9-12


Ages 12-15


Ages 13-16



Ages 15-18



Ages 18+
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Friday, September 13, 2013

Lesbian Secondary Characters in Fiction

YA Fiction with a lesbian secondary character that has a main part in the plot.

Secondary character lesbian fiction includes stories about kids with lesbian parents, friends and romantic interests. Some of them are matter of fact stories that happen to feature lesbian characters, others are struggles to overcome a changed family, homophobia or conflict directed at their friends.


Ages 9-12

Ages 12-15

Ages 15-18
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Thursday, September 5, 2013

Gay Contemporary Teen Fiction

Contemporary fiction with a gay male main character.


Ages 9-12


Ages 12-15


Ages 13-16


Ages 15-18


Ages 18+


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Gay Teen Fiction With A Straight Main Character

These books all include a major gay male character or theme, but have a straight protagonist*

While these stories are seen through the eyes of straight teenagers, they are mostly about that teen coming to terms with a gay friend, (ex)boyfriend, father, uncle or their own homophobia.

*There are a couple of books with lesbian protagonists as well.


 Ages 9-12


 Ages 12-15


Ages 13-16


Ages 15-18



 Ages 18+





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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

GLBTQIA Fiction Anthologies

Short story collections dealing with topics of gender and sexuality for young adults. Most focus on gay and lesbian protagonists, with a few transgender stories and a very few intersex, bisexual or other protagonists. Some of these are more general collections that include sexuality as one or more of the topics.

The fiction/nonfiction lines are often somewhat blurred, as many of these collections are clearly autobiographical in nature.




How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity edited by Michael Cart
  • Ages 15-18
  • Includes: MtF, FtM, Gay, Lesbian
  • No of Stories: 12
  • Authors: Michael Cart, Francesca Lia Block, David Levithan, Ron Koertge, Eric Shanower, Julie Anne Peters, Jennifer Finney Boylan, William Sleater, Emma Donoghue


How They Met, and Other Stories by David Levithan
  • Ages 15-18
  • Includes: Gay, Straight, Lesbian
  • No of Stories: 18
  • Themes: love and relationships


Love & Sex: Ten Stories of Truth edited by
  • Ages 15-18
  • Includes: Straight,  Lesbian, Gay
  • No of Stories: 10 (mostly heterosexual)
  • Themes: love, sex, relationships


OMGQueer edited by Katherine E. Lynch & Radclyffe
  • Ages 15-18, 18+
  • Includes: Lesbian, Gay, Intersex, Transgender
  • No of Stories: 18
  • Themes: love, sex, relationships, identity
  • Heavy emphasis on lesbian stories. Some are quite adult in style, including a bit of erotica, and a interesting mix of approaches. Generally good quality.
  • Reviews: Good Lesbian Books, Barefoot Medical Student


On the Fringe edited by Donald R. Gallo
  • Ages 15-18
  • Includes: Straight,  one story of sexuality
  • No of Stories: 11
  • Themes: outsiders, geeks, bullying, school shootings
  • Authors: Jack Gantos, Chris Crutcher, Francess Lantz, Joan Bauer , M.E. Kerr, Angela Johnson and others


Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
  • Ages 15-18
  • Includes: Lesbian, Gay, Intersex, and more.
  • Themes: Pride, identity, coming out, growing up, acceptance
  • Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, artwork, interviews, resources and other miscellaneous content. 
  • Authors: 50+ contributors, aged 14-26


13: Thirteen Stories That Capture the Agony and Ecstasy of Being Thirteen edited by James Howe
  • Ages 12-15
  • Includes: Straight,  two stories of sexuality
  • No of Stories: 13
  • Themes: growing up, coming out, crushes, childhood, family
  • Authors: Ellen Wittlinger, Alex Sanchez, Meg Cabot, Ann Martin, Bruce Coville, Todd Strasser, Rachel Vail, Stephen Roos, Ron Koertge, Lori Aurelia Williams, Laura Goodwin


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Monday, August 12, 2013

Liar

Larbalestier, J. (2009). Liar. New York: Bloomsbury Children’s Books. 
Liar is a well written and disturbing novel, that starts off as a mystery, but swiftly turns into either a psychological thriller or an urban science fiction/fantasy novel. I can’t tell you which, because I don’t know which is the truth. Our narrator, a seventeen year old girl called Micah, is a compulsive liar and entirely unreliable, so we can’t tell if the stories are getting wilder, or the truth is slowly emerging.
There a couple of violent scenes, but it’s quite suitable for young adults. Micah suffers from excessive pain and bleeding during her periods (which is either the basis for some of her lies, or an excuse to hide what’s really going on, but either way, is a significant part of the story). This is unusual in young adult characters, and would be both worthy of discussion and help raise awareness of similar conditions, as well as being topical because of her use of birth control.

Liar is very easy to read, and includes a wide range of issues that teens will identify with, and are worth analysing. It acts as a good starting point for discussions on racism, unusual medical disorders, bullying and high school cliques, transgenderism (being in the wrong body was a strong theme throughout the book), bisexuality, science and mythology, and of course, unreliable narration.

 It can't be easily categorised into any particular label, partly because most of the GLBTQIA aspects are metaphorical or unreliably narrated, but it is very easy to find these issues within the story.
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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Cross-dressing (Transvestitism)

Fiction about boys who like dressing up as girls (but not vice versa!). Mostly for younger readers, these books tend to be gentler, humorous, introductions to the concepts of gender, acceptance and identity.





Boy2Girl by Terence Blacker
  • Ages 12-15
A serious story dressed up with humour, Boy2Girl follows the adventure of new boy Sam, who is dared by his cousin to attend his new school as a girl. Only he turns out to be really good at it. Sam's stunt becomes a long term thing with all kinds of consequences on the people around him (and Sam himself). Throw in a violent father that he desperately wants to avoid, and a narration that switches through every character but Sam, and this ends up being a fun ride through gender expectations and growing up.
The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
  • Ages 9-12
  • Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Dennis has a miserable home life, a secret love of fashion and a major part in the school football team. When his friend Lisa discovers his love of fashion, she convinces him to head to school in a dress, which leads to hijinks as "Denise". Unfortunately, he ends up in a lot of trouble! A humorous, sensible story with a happy ending.
Crossing Lines by Paul Volponi
  • Ages 12-15
Adonis is a school jock, and popular, and gets caught up in harrassing the lipstick wearing new kid - until it goes too far, and he has to decide where he stands.A great book for straight kids struggling with acceptance, a good look at bullying, but not one that GLBTQIA kids will identify with much.
The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean
  • Ages 15-18
Set in early 1900s France, this is a madcap adventure of a young boy who decides to run away and become someone else in a series of wild adventures, rather than wait around for his prophesised death at age 14. He is accompanied by his 'guardian' cross dressing steward. Surreal, whimsical, and serious by turns, this story might be a bit complicated for the average teenager, but is a fantastic book for older readers and adults.
Debbie Harry Sings in French by Meagan Brothers
  • Ages 15-18
Johnny has a troubled teenage life, a drinking problem, and a fixation on the lead singer of Blondie. When he goes to live with his uncle, Johnny explores his identity, with the help of his girlfriend, and celebrates his transvestism. A powerful novel that covers a lot of issues, from bullying, drinking, suicide and family, as well as love and crossdressing. Unlike the other stories available, this book has an older protagonist who is quite clearly straight, dodging the ambiguousness of younger people's sexualities.
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